Lost In Translation
by sweetkiwi604
Summary: The youngest Toretto and daddy's little girl, Erela, didn't have a single worry until one fateful race had her losing everything she had ever known. But some say you have to lose your way to find a better path. Co-written by lunastars.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi all :) This has been co-written with lunastars and we hope that you enjoy it. We already have the first couple chapters written and will be posting once a week until it's complete. **

**Hope you enjoy and let us know what you think!**

Chapter 1

"Mornin'," Dad smiled as I made my way into the small kitchen, the aroma of coffee steering me in the right direction.

I grabbed a mug from the dish rack and poured myself a cup, mumbling a greeting back to my dad as he flipped through the newspaper. After adding three scoops of sugar I opened the refrigerator to grab the milk but found the carton completely empty. "Dad! Vince used all the milk again!"

"Now, pumpkin, I'm sure he didn't mean to," my father placated, "You know him living here will take some time to get used to but the boy's mother just passed away. He has no where else to go and…"

"You want to keep an eye on him because we're the only family he has left," I finished for him, having heard this spiel about a hundred times in the past two weeks. I, of course, felt horrible about the loss of his mom but unlike Dom and Mia I couldn't fully understand it. Our mother passed away when I was only a toddler and no matter how hard I tried there just weren't any memories attached.

My dad stood from his chair and kissed my forehead, "Have a good day at school and I expect homework to be done before you start anything else."

He left through the back door and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my lips as I heard his Charger roar to life.

"C'mon, Ellie, if I'm dropping you off at school we have to leave now or I'm going to be late for my classes," Mia called from the bottom of the steps with a pile of books in her arms. I choked down the rest of my coffee and shuffled my way to the front of the house slinging my backpack over my shoulder on the way. Her eyes raked up and down my body, "You aren't going to change?"

"Why?"

She huffed in annoyance, "Erela, you barely have anything on! No way would dad let you out of the house like this."

"He didn't say anything before he left," I challenged with a smirk.

"Whatever," she mumbled as she opened the front door and headed toward her car. I locked the front door behind me and slid into the passenger seat, turning the music on as soon as she had it started. "Where did you even get a shirt like that?"

"Letty."

Mia looked over to me suspiciously, "Letty gave you that?"

"Gave…left on Dom's floor…same thing…"

I looked out the window, not waiting to see her reaction. I could easily guess it though she was my big sister. Even though she loved having me around and was the more lenient of my two siblings, she could still get a little bit on the over protective and bossy side. I had no doubt in my mind, however, that she would keep quiet. It _was_ just a shirt after all. Dom wouldn't be happy at all but he wouldn't kick up too much of a fuss especially if Dad was around and in a good mood I would be fine, but sometimes even I wasn't that lucky.

"You know, it's a good thing you've got Dad wrapped around your little finger," Mia commented as she backed out of the driveway.

"I don't know what you mean," I grinned innocently at her.

***Fast and Furious* **

"Hey," I smiled in anticipation as I met my boyfriend in the parking lot after school, "Can I drive?"

Sam sucked in air through his teeth, "Oh, I don't know. I wouldn't want you to grind the gears. Why doesn't my little bunny just hop in the back?"

He reached out to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear but I backed away, "I'm _so_ not your 'little bunny'."

"Don't be like that, Ellie," he followed after me as I started walking down the sidewalk away from the school. "I didn't mean anything by it…it's just…well…I mean…"

I spun around and crossed my arms over my chest, "It's just what?"

"Well…you're a girl."

I dramatically gasped and put a hand over my mouth, "I am? I never knew that." I rolled my eyes and started walking again ignoring the protests from the guy that up until today had been by boyfriend for the past couple of months. "Hypocritical asshole," I mumbled as a horn sounded from behind me. I was going to keep walking until I heard the engine and I knew it couldn't be Sam.

"Hey kid, need a ride?"

"I'm not a kid," I protested as I looked both ways and crossed the street to get in the passenger seat.

As soon as my door was closed we were off, the speed pushing me back into the seat, but I was anything but scared. A content sigh escaped my lips as I let my head fall back.

"Shouldn't curly be driving you home?" Vince questioned and for the first time I didn't correct the nickname I just shifted and stared out the window. He turned the music down and got serious, "He didn't do anything stupid, did he? Do I need to go down to that school and teach him what happens when he messes with my girl?"

"No," I laughed at how sincere he was. "Let's just go to the shop."

He looked over to me for a second to make to see if I was telling the truth. He must have been satisfied with my answer because he shifted into third and turned the music up. We finally pulled up to the shop and a smile instantly flashed across my face. This was the one place that nothing bad could ever happen. This was my heaven.

"Thought I told you homework needed to get done first," my dad called out from under one of the cars he was working on.

Vince shrugged in my direction silently telling me he hasn't going to help and walked over to the Honda he was assigned that day. Dom came out of the office and raised his eyebrow at my shirt choice as he passed by to grab a tool he needed. I waited until my dad rolled out from under the car and held my hand out to help him up. "You did, but I got this today and wanted to show you."

I handed him my report card and rocked back and forth on my feet as he pulled his glasses out of his front pocket and set them on the bridge of his nose to read it over. "Well, you've got your momma's brains that's for sure," he smiled, folding the paper back up and wrapping his strong arms around me. "I'm so proud of you, pumpkin. Keep that up and you'll be able to go to whatever college you want to."

I let my arms fall and walked over to the car Vince was supposed to be working on, "Daddy, I don't want to go." I popped the hood and did a quick scan to see if I could figure out why it was in here. "I told you I want to work here with you."

"You deserve better," he stated as he used his pointer finger to smear grease on my nose.

"So Dom doesn't?" I questioned, raising a questioning brow. "Or Vince?"

My dad gave me a stern glare, "Of course they do, but-"

"But nothing, Daddy," I said softly with a small pout. "College is what Mia deserves because it's what she wants. Vince and Dom deserve nothing more than a job at this place because that's the _only_ job they want."

"I wouldn't mind taking a car around a track once or twice," Vince shrugged as he walked back to the car with a few tools.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Well, the only job they want that they're actually talented enough to get."

My comment caught even Dom's attention. Vince stuck his tongue out at me and I pulled probably the most unattractive face I'm sure I've ever made, but before any more remarks could be passed, Dad spoke up.

"You should still look into applying," he told me with a greasy finger pointed in my direction. "You've got a real shot. With those brains of yours, you could do anything. You're only seventeen. You've got a little while so just look around and think about it, you may change your mind."

It was hard to keep the frown from my face but I held it in. I wasn't going to change my mind; I knew that, he knew that, hell half the city knew that but I was going to humor him. As much as I loved my dad, I didn't think he was always right. One day when this conversation comes up again, he'll see my side of it. He had to, right? I mean I'm still a junior in high school there would be plenty of time. I could work here and maybe it would leave my system, maybe I'd go to college later on in life if I really wanted to. We would both win, I could work closely with cars and he would see me further my education.

I flashed him a small smile. "Tell Mia to quit going on about me applying and I'll at least consider looking."

Vince started laughing but quickly turned it into a cough when he got a look from my dad. He shook his head and kissed my forehead, "I'll see what I can do but you need to go do your homework."

"I will," I promised as I walked over and grabbed my pair of coveralls. I stepped into them and tied the arms around my waist to hold it in place. "But first this car needs an oil change."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sundays have never been a day of rest in the Toretto household and today was no different. As soon as we got home from church I quickly changed out of the flowery dress Mia forced me to wear and into a pair of jean shorts with a neon pink tank top. It was a little after noon and daddy was already outside getting the grill warmed up while Dom and Vince had gone to get refreshments.

"You look like yourself again," Letty commented as I walked out the backdoor with my sunglasses on.

I tightened my high ponytail, "So much better."

"Hey," she stopped me from going any further. "I'm missing some of my clothes you haven't seen them have you?"

"Nope," I popped the 'p' as I answered and continued on my way to the garage.

Daddy's charger; one of the most magnificent cars I had ever seen. My fingers glided over the black paint as I made my way to the door. Sliding into the front seat I had never felt so small. I had only been to the track with my dad a handful of times but even then I had to stay in the stands so he could concentrate on the race. I could only imagine what it felt like to be able to drive at those speeds, to not only be operating the car but to move as one. One day, one day I'd be a skilled racer with my own body shop just like my dad.

"Day dreaming again?"

Dom's voice made me jump right off the front seat. I growled at him as I got out of the car and closed the door gingerly, "It's not nice to sneak up on people, baldy."

He chuckled and shook his head but I saw it in his eyes, he felt the same way about this car as I did. "You know he's accepted a race against Linder next weekend."

"He'll win," I kept my eyes on the black beast in front of me. "No one is going to beat daddy."

Dom threw his arm over my shoulders and walked with me back to the barbeque. "Where's curly? Thought I'd be breaking his neck for being too hands on."

"I'm not with Sam anymore," I told him as I moved from his embrace to jump on Vince's back. I messed up his hair as much as I could but you could barely tell, "This is the only curly man I need besides at least this one let's me drive."

My dad who had been chatting with some of the neighbors raised an eyebrow at Vince and I had to hide my face in the back of his shoulder to stop the laughter. I slid off his back and he flicked me in the back of my head for getting him in trouble.

I turned around, grinning from ear to ear as I walked backwards away from him. Dom seemed to be grinning equally as big as me. I probably just told him the best news he had had all month. Ever since Sam and I started dating Dom hadn't exactly been thrilled about it but I had to admit he kept a respectable distance a majority of the time.

"So, thief, how come you and Sam broke up?"

I looked at Letty with a raised brow. "Thief? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I'm not stupid, I know you steal my clothes," she explained, smirk in place as she folded her arms over her chest. "Now answer the question."

"He's a jerk," I shrugged. "Need I go on with my reasons?"

She laughed, nodding her head a little. "Good a reason as any."

"So, sneak in any windows lately?" I turned the tables and her eyes quickly darted over to where dad had started pulling the burgers off the grill. I couldn't help but laugh, "Oh, he doesn't know you can relax." I watched as she exhaled slowly. "At least I don't think he does." That one earned me a smack in the arm and I rubbed the assaulted area in mock hurt. "Actually, I was wondering if you'd be able to help a sister out."

"Maybe."

I glanced around to make sure no one could over hear and then I leaned closer to her, "Daddy is racing Linder next weekend."

"Okay…" Letty trailed off not seeing what that had to do with me or her for that matter.

"I want to go," I continued and she sighed deeply, "Just hear me out! I know daddy won't let me go because it's like a really big deal but I was hoping if someone put Dom in a good mood the night before he might let me sneak up into the stands."

She looked at me wearily. There were a lot of things she would do for me but sometimes she knew when not to get involved. From the look on her face I knew this was one of those times where she was considering taking a step back.

"Ellie, I don't know…"

"Please, Let," I begged, trying to keep my voice in a hushed tone so dad and that wouldn't hear. "This is a big race, I know everyone thinks so. I should be there to see it. I never really get to see him race anymore."

"Look, things might not go so great but I'm probably going to see Dom the night before the race anyway so if you want to try you can but I'm not promising there'll be any difference."

I gave her a small hug, muttering a thank you to her as I moved away. Dom raised a brow at the two of us. I figured he had guessed that I knew about him and Letty but it was clear he wasn't sure. Every time Letty and I talked quietly to each other he would watch us suspiciously. Sometimes I liked to look at him after a conversation with Letty and look like I'm trying not to laugh as I quickly look away again.

***Fast and Furious***

It was two days before daddy's big race and half the town was talking about it. The excitement was almost too much to bear and I had a hard time concentrating on anything else besides how to see him race.

"Number three isn't right," Dad placed my math homework back in front of me. I erased my answer and tried to work it out again. He must have sensed my hesitation. "Ellie, you know this. Something on your mind, pumpkin?"

I shrugged my shoulders slightly before setting the pencil down, "Do you get nervous before you race?"

"No," he shook his head. "Want to know why?" When I eagerly nodded a small smile pulled at the corner of his lips, "Because a true racer knows his car inside out. It's not about who goes the fastest it's who knows how to handle their car the best at those speeds. Remember, Ellie, it doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile; winning it winning."

"And you are going to win."

He picked up my discarded pencil and placed it back in my hand, "All you have to worry about is getting your homework done."

"I still say the answer is six," I mumbled.

He opened my math book and flipped to the right page, "Now look, you have to multiply before you add."

I, once again, erased what I had and started over as he picked up his crossword puzzle and filled in one of the blanks. The problem in front of me seemed to be equally as tricky as my plan to watch my dad race. I would have to figure something out soon or I wasn't going to be able to go. If this race was as big as everyone was making out then surely I had a right to be there? Maybe I could surprise him and be waiting at the finish line for him.

As I thought over my predicament the correct answer to my math problem popped out at me. I scribbled the answer into the little box and turned the book around to face dad. He set his crossword aside and took a look at it. A few seconds passed before a smile lit up his face.

I grinned in satisfaction. One problem down, one to go. 

***Fast and Furious* **

It was the night before the race and I didn't know how to contain my excitement. After staring at my ceiling for over an hour I decided to get a snack from the kitchen. I threw my ipod on my bedside table and walked out into the hallway and started down the stairs until I heard someone talking in the living room.

I crept down to the bottom step as I heard Dom and Vince talking in hushed voices, clearly not wanting to be heard. They couldn't see me from where I was so I got comfortable. Dad had left to do a few practice laps and Mia and Letty had gone out.

"Letty came to me," I heard Dom whisper.

"About what?"

"Ellie." There was a brief silence. I could imagine Vince staring Dom down, waiting to find out what was coming next, he could be just as protective sometimes. "Apparently, Ellie really wants to come to the race."

"Would it really be so bad?" Vince questioned. I sent up a silent prayer of thanks and good will towards him. Maybe I had a chance of going after all.

"It's not a good idea for Ellie to be there," Dom argued with a tone that suggested Vince should know better. "It's not really the best place for her. I know she has a love for cars but I don't want her around some of the guys there. Not to mention it's such a big race for dad."

"If she had been allowed to come to some of the smaller races then maybe it wouldn't be such a big deal now."

"Look, even if I did let her sneak up to the stands like we've done before there's no way we could keep her quiet," Dom said knowingly. "And Dad would know, he knows _everything_."

"What if I stayed with her up in the stands?" Vince offered and I had to bite my bottom lip to keep in the squeal of excitement. If I had one of them on my side it usually wasn't too long until I had the other one too.

I heard Dom let out a deep breath, "You know she'll look at me with those big brown eyes and ask me to take her." I silently nodded along. "But I need you on my side with this, V. We forget sometimes she's only seventeen."

I sighed in defeat. Dom seemed to be semi-open to the idea of my coming along but it was the side of him that was against it that would cause me trouble.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"C'mon, Dom!" I begged as I followed him into the living room. My big brown eyes and pouty lip got me no where this time and this was my last chance to be able to go. "Why can't I come with you?! Dad won't find out I promise!"

He sat on the couch and started lacing his boots up, "Ellie, dad has an important race today and it's a big deal he is even letting me come." When he looked up and saw the pout on my face he shook his head. "Maybe next time."

"You always say that!" I argued but he didn't answer. "Ugh! You suck!" I screamed in frustration as I made my way to the front door and tried to push past Vince who was on the porch.

He lightly grabbed my arm to stop me and spun me around to face him, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"There's no reason I can't go today!" I had to blink back a few tears that threatened to fall because of how angry I was. "You'll take me, won't you? Please, V, I heard you and Dom talking last night and I know you think I should be able to go. I can keep quiet I promise! I'll do whatever you say. I'll be so quiet you won't even know I'm there. Please, Vince, you're my last hope."

He looked down at his feet, "El-"

"Unbelievable," I cut him off with a disgusted shake of my head. "You know, you all can go straight to hell I'm not a child!"

"Ellie!" Vince called after me but as I got in the front seat of my car I flipped him off.

I peeled out of the driveway and down the street to the only place I ever felt truly happy; the garage. I parked out front and used my key to get in through the office since it was technically closed for the day. There was a picture on the wall of my dad standing next to the Charger after one of his races he had the biggest smile I had ever seen on his face. I grabbed one of the invoices out of the box to see what needed to be done with the cars still waiting in the garage to be fixed. I was going to show daddy that I could be an asset to him and if I showed him what I could do maybe he wouldn't make me apply to college.

I sat for a while going over the invoices, looking for one that needed to be done quickly. I eventually found one that did need to be done as soon as possible and was happy to see that not much that needed to be done to it. I knew what I was doing, I had learned a thing or two from the best but I wasn't about to risk this opportunity to prove myself by biting off more than I could chew.

After I got the keys out and hauled a tool box over to the correct car, I slipped into the little back room to grab a pair of overalls that were closest to my size. It took a while but once I got them to sit where they wouldn't fall off I went back out to work.

I lifted up the hood of the car and made sure it was propped up securely. I then grabbed the tools I needed and set to work. I made sure to tackle the bits I was confident with. There were a couple of parts that needed to be replaced and I was sure I could do at least one of them. I knew we had the part I would need because I had been here when the latest delivery came in.

Once I spent a fair amount of time safely removing the part I was working on, I wiped my hands on a nearby rag. I then moved into the storage section of the garage and tried to locate the part I needed. Once I found the correct one I filled out the forms I needed to and then placed the part on one of the manual push carts we had.

I wheeled it back to the car with all the other little bits I needed. I pushed my sleeves up a little further before I got ready to lift the part. I got it lined up nicely and was able to slot it into place. I grabbed the wrench, ready to tighten everything up and secure it when I heard the sound of engines pulling up outside. I cursed profusely; it had to be Dom and Vince.

I had no choice. I couldn't finish the car and avoid facing them, so I set the wrench back down. I dropped the hood but didn't let it close completely. I could hear them talking as they got closer. They would have seen my car so I knew I had to be smart about this.

Being as quick as possible I moved towards the office while taking off the overall. I was able to step out of it just as I pushed myself through the back door. I took a deep breath as I rested against it. I wasn't ready to deal with them quite yet. It was Daddy I would need to prove myself to and I figured giving Vince the finger and telling Dom he sucked wasn't going to get me any brownie points.

Quietly I snuck around the side of the building. Luckily for me it didn't seem like Dom or Vince had blocked my way out. I ducked down low and made my over to my car. My keys were in hand all ready to go. When I got to the car I looked towards the garage. From what I could see and hear they were searching it. Placing my hand on the door handle I quickly pressed the unlock button.

Before the noise and lights could attract them I threw the door open and climbed inside. As it shut behind me I thrust the key in and turned the engine on. Just as they came out of the garage I threw my car into gear and reversed out. As I sped off down the street I tried to think of somewhere I could go.

I drove for a bit until I was sure I couldn't see Dom or Vince behind me. I ended up settling on the café. Mia would be there and she was always saying that if I needed her I just had to ask. She would let me have the time I needed to be by myself.

She looked surprised to see me as I slipped onto a stool at the counter and pulled out my sketch book to work on the new decals I wanted for my car. I flashed her a smile so she didn't start over thinking things like she tended to do and she went back to cleaning out the soda machine.

"Did you fill out any of your applications yet?" she questioned with a knowing look. I didn't need to answer she already knew what I would say. "Don't make me fill them out for you. You're going to college, Erela, and junior year of high school is when you should start looking."

"Dom didn't go," I replied grabbing my orange colored pencil to shade in the one side of my picture. "I can just work in the garage with him and daddy."

She walked over and tilted my drawing so she could see it better, "This is really good. You could go for design. I heard there are some really great art schools back east."

Back east? Not only was she crazy for thinking I was going to go to college in the first place but there was no way in hell I was going to be living on the other side of the country.

"Maybe," I mumbled, hoping that if I didn't flat out refuse she would drop the subject for a little while.

My eyes shifted to the clock on the wall there was only fifteen minutes until daddy's race. "Hey," I called to the back room where Mia had retreated to do some paperwork. "I'll be right back!"

I didn't wait for her response, I was tired of everyone else deciding what I was supposed to do, I was going to go see daddy's race.

The drive seemed to take forever but the moment I was in the parking lot you could feel the energy from the crowd. I pulled into the first parking spot I saw and ran over to the grandstands, hoping I didn't miss his race. Weaving my way through the crowd of people I heard the roar of daddy's engine and knew I had made it just in time. I had just gotten up to the barrier with a huge smile on my face when I saw Linder's car clip the Charger and sent it flying into the cement wall. Time stood still for a minute as I blinked trying to get the image to change because there was no way that just happened. All the air left my lungs as my dad's car was engulfed in flames.

I hadn't even realized I was screaming until one of the women next to me tried to console me. I pushed away from her and tried to get down to my dad when a pair of arms wrapped around my middle and held me back.

"No!" I screamed, tears streaming down my cheeks. "Let me go, that's my dad! That's my dad!"

"Miss, it's too dangerous you can't go down there," the man holding me back tried to reason with me but it was no use I had to get to my dad.

When I looked up through my tears I saw Dom and Vince making their way through the crowd. Their size and determination got them further than I had.

"Dom!" I cried out and though he didn't seem to hear me Vince stopped dead in his tracks. It took him a couple seconds to find where my voice had come from but when he did I was finally able to break away from this stranger and run right into his arms.

"What're you doing here?" he questioned, keeping me close to his chest with his hand on the back of my head.

"Dad," I cried as I clung to him. "We have to go get dad."

I could feel him take a deep breath, "Sweetheart, he-"

"No," a growl erupted from deep within my chest and I used all my strength to break away from Vince.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as I made my way down to the track. I couldn't hear the emergency vehicles as their sirens screamed out, I couldn't hear the crowd and all their gasps, all I could hear was my heart beat in my ears. The heat from the fire washed over my skin making my stomach churn. I had turned to empty the contents of my stomach when I saw _him_.

Kenny Linder was leaning against his own car with a small smirk on his face. My blood boiled at the sight of him and before I even knew it I had started walking I was standing in front of him with my fists clenched.

"Come to congratulate me on my win?" he asked with a smug smile.

My chest heaved with each breath as I tried, and failed, to contain my anger. "That was my dad you son of a bitch!" My fist flew to the side of his face and when it made contact I thought I'd feel better, that hurting him would make things right, but when I felt the same I hit him again.

It wasn't until my fourth punch that he must have had enough with me and pushed me away from him. I fell hard onto my back with my head hitting the ground. I heard the sound of boots thudding against the pavement and when I sat up I saw Linder had run off.

"Ellie?" Dom dropped to his knees beside me and ran his eyes over my body looking for any injuries. "Are you alright?"

I felt a hand on the back of my head and hissed in pain. "Sorry, kid," Vince crouched down next to me. "Looks like you're going to have one hell of a bump."

"Dad?" I looked up to Dom, my big brother that was supposed to make everything better, the person that chased all my nightmares away. He'd make sure we we're all okay.

His face said otherwise and when he couldn't answer my question my heart shattered into a million pieces.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

There was a knock on my door two days later but just like all the others I ignored it. I kept my gaze out my window watching as the rest of the world carried on about their day. My door frame shook as someone rammed into it trying to get it open since I had it locked.

"Erela Toretto, open the damn door!" Dom hollered before another slam came.

"Leave her be," Mia argued with him out in the hallway. "We know where she is just give her some time."

One more slam and the door flew open sending a few wooden splinters onto the carpeted floor. I slowly turned my head to see what he had done and crossed my arms over my chest, "Daddy's going to be mad you broke the door."

Dom's nostrils flared like he was a volcano just waiting to explode. "What were you doing at the race?" When I didn't answer he came over and grabbed my arm, spinning me around so that I was facing him. "I asked you a question!"

"Get off of me," I tried to pull my arm from his grasp but he was too strong.

He tightened his grip, "You were told not to be there!"

"Dad!" I screamed as loud as I could, waiting for him to come thundering up the stairs and set Dom straight. "Daddy! He's hurting me!"

"He's dead, Erela," Dom shouted in my face as Vince came into the room and tried to push my older brother back. "You could have gotten seriously hurt and dad is dead! Why can't you get that through your head?!"

Tears prickled my eyes and it took Mia pushing on Dom's chest a few times to finally get him out of the room. I looked over to Vince, "Dom doesn't know what he's talking about daddy wouldn't let me get hurt."

A frown pulled at the corners of his lips as he sat down on the bed next to me, "I'm just going to check your head. Okay, Ellie?" I nodded and leaned closer to him as he ran his hand over the bump on the back of my head. "Does it still hurt?"

"Sometimes," I shrugged and leaned completely into him so my head was resting on his chest.

He wrapped his arm around me, "We'll get through this, kid."

"Hey, V?" I asked softly and he hummed in response, "What did I do to make Dom so mad? I'm worried about him, he never gets that angry with me, and daddy isn't going to stand for it."

Vince sighed and placed a kiss on top of my head as he got off the bed. He handed me my sketchbook that was on my dresser and my box of colored pencils, "You let me worry about Dom, okay? You just worry about making some killer decals for your car."

I took my stuff and flipped through a few of the pages, "Daddy'll really like this one I added his name to the middle. I'm going to surprise him for the next race with it."

"Looks good, kid," Vince said in a funny voice and I couldn't understand why he sounded like he wanted to cry. Maybe he was still having a hard time with his mom's death. I'd have to remember to be extra nice to him. "I'll be back later to check on your head again."

"I'm fine," I rolled my eyes but I knew it wouldn't be any good he'd be back in a couple of hours no matter what. He somehow managed to close my door and I shook my head, daddy was going to be so mad when he found out Dom broke it.

**Vince's P.O.V.**

I closed her door behind me at the same time Dom walked out of his room. "I'm worried about her, Dom."

"There's nothing wrong with her," he muttered, turning his back on the door. "She's just being difficult."

"She still thinks your dad is alive," I tried to reason with him quietly so that Ellie wouldn't over hear us. "It's not because she's in denial, I think it's because she honestly thinks he's still alive."

"Why would she think that?" Dom demanded. He ran his hands over his head in frustration. He looked like he was coming dangerously close to punching something. "She saw him crash. She ran right towards the car before she confronted Linder. How could she have missed the fact that he died?"

"I don't know," I admitted, sinking down to the floor as I leaned against Ellie's door. "I can just tell that something is wrong, Dom. Maybe we should take her to the hospital."

"Take who to the hospital?"

We both looked towards the stairs as Letty and Mia reached the top of them. It had been the latter who had spoken. She had concern etched all over her face and it was no secret she has been really worried about Ellie too.

"Ellie," I mumbled, sharing a look with Dom.

"Yeah, he thinks she's gone crazy," he muttered in response as he rolled his eyes, showing how absurd he thought the whole thing was.

"I never said that," I defended before looking back to the girls. "It's just the things she is saying aren't adding up. It's coming across like she thinks he survived the accident." 

"What do you mean?" Letty asked as she slipped through to stand with Dom. "Like, she thinks he's going to walk through the front door or something?"

"He believes so," Dom muttered, motioning in my direction. "I don't think it's possible."

"And I'm just saying she should be checked out," I defended myself yet again. This was one thing I wasn't going to back down on, not when it came to Ellie. "At the very least it could help her cope."

"She rarely comes out of her room, Dom," Mia spoke up softly. "We were all close but you know how much she admired Daddy. If we don't do something and she gets worse it will be our fault. I can't lose her too, Dom."

The three of us looked at him, it seemed like we were all in agreement, and he looked at each of us in turn. Eventually, he exhaled and gave a defeated nod.

**Erela's P.O.V. **

I looked at the curtain as I sat in the cubicle I had been left in. I was still unsure as to why I was here but the team had left no room for arguments. In my current situation, of being extremely tired with a never ending headache, I just let them drag me out of my room and take me. The doctors asked me some of the most random questions. _What's your name? Do you know where you are? How many fingers am I holding up? What's today's date? Who's the President of the United States?_ I had answered them easily enough but didn't get any responses as to whether the answers were correct or not.

That's when the doctors and nurses left me here, even the others had disappeared. I knew Daddy would come and see me. He must still be sore after his race with Linder but he would come. I was his little girl, he would come and demand answers then I could go home and sleep some more. Then after this headache goes away maybe everything would feel good again.

Eventually, Mia joined me in the small room and said we could go home now. I asked if I passed the test but she told me we would get the results in a few days. When we were driving home I almost asked to stop by the shop, Daddy must have been extra busy today if he couldn't make my appointment, but the thought of curling up in my bed was too appealing.

**One Week Later  
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**Vince's P.O.V.**

Tension was running high in the Toretto household and I wasn't sure what to do to make it better. Dom was like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment and though he had exploded a few times I knew the worst was yet to come. Mia would alternate between crying in her room and fussing around the house with mundane things like cleaning and organizing. Then there was Ellie who was a shell of the girl I used to love to tease. She'd spend countless hours in her room, most of them sleeping, but occasionally when I would check on her in the middle of the night I would see her staring out her window. I asked once what she was doing and when she answered that she was waiting for her dad to come home my heart broke for her.

Yesterday was Mr. T's funeral and though I would have liked to have gone and paid my respects to the man I always viewed as a father I stayed home with Ellie. After her appointment the doctor had suggested that she avoid any stressful situations until he got her results back. Everything had been going good. Dom and Mia had taken care of all the arrangements while Letty and I kept Ellie busy so she wouldn't over hear. Until the day of the funeral and she questioned where everyone was going all dressed up. Dom who was barely keeping it together himself blatantly told her and she started to cry almost inconsolably. I thought it might have been because the reality was finally setting in but she thought he was playing a sick joke on her. They had to leave so they wouldn't be late and I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to get her to eat something.

The phone rang and I welcomed the interruption to the tension that filled the house. Dom got up to answer it and I watched as his eyes almost turned black with fury. With only a few short words spoken he slammed the phone back on the receiver and stormed out the front door.

"Dom?" Mia called after him as she, Letty, and I followed him outside. We weren't quick enough though and he sped away in his car leaving us in a cloud of exhaust. Mia looked at her wits end as she turned to Letty. "Something needs to give, I can't keep doing this."

**Dom's P.O.V**

My mind completely stopped when I heard the words come right out of the Doctor's mouth. _Your sister is suffering from acute memory loss, combined with the traumatic event of losing her father, I'd say that even as she heals there may be some memories she won't get back. Only time will tell_. Ellie was sick. Vince had been right all along, he had spotted something before I did and I think that was what made me angrier. What kind of brother was I to not even notice that my little sister wasn't right? Sure, she wasn't going to die and it might not even be permanent but Linder had taken away a small part of her and I was sick of him tearing my family apart.

It didn't matter if I had to drive around all night; there was no way I was going to stop until I found out exactly where Linder was. I called Hector and some other people to keep an eye out and an ear to the ground. The quicker I found him the quicker I could get my anger out and make up for the mistakes I'd made.

I must have been driving around for a good hour before I got a lead. Hector called me with some information. It was some kind of house party, something to celebrate the races my Dad had been a part of. It made sense that Linder would be celebrating still, the guy didn't give a shit about anything as long as he won. Without hesitation I headed straight there.

As I pulled up at the address I spotted his car. It was sitting front and center for all to see. My blood boiled as I started to notice all the little things he did to make himself center of attention. I parked next to the sidewalk and exited my car. It had occurred to me that all of this anger would probably go away eventually, that in the end I would see him as some low life that would get what's coming to him, but for now that wasn't enough. I moved to the back of the car and popped the trunk. I routed around for some kind of back-up and that's when I saw it; sitting there looking all shiny was my torque wrench. It made me feel like a kid at Christmas to see it.

I picked it up carefully, like it was some kind of prized procession. The second it was in my hand my mind went blank. All I could see was red and it was like I was on auto-pilot. I shut the trunk before I walked across the road and over to the house. The adrenaline got me there within seconds and I didn't even both to knock on the door before I kicked it open.

Screams erupted and the music went silent as the door swung open and I started to knock things over. Among the crowd I found Linder easily. At first he just stood there but slowly the recognition seemed to hit him. I moved over to him, reaching him before he could move too far. I grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged him towards the front door. He squirmed and tried to fight me off as he yelled something up at me.

I ignored it all as I got him outside. I threw him away from me and he tumbled down the sloped driveway. Gripping the wrench harder in my hand I made my way over to him until I was standing right over him. As he went to say something I hit him hard with the wrench before he had the chance. The first hit had been to release the anger that had been building inside of me but it didn't help as much as I thought it would then I remembered the crash. I hit him again as I remembered the Charger in a ball of flames and another hit as I remembered everyone's reactions. The wrench was almost swinging in the air on it's own before connecting with his face as I remembered Ellie's face as she ran onto the track. The pain of losing my father, of watching my family fall apart in front of my eyes, had been a nightmare within itself but then I remembered the phone call. I visualized Linder pushing Ellie over and I hit him again. I kept on hitting him for everything that he had taken away from me.

It was only when I heard engines followed by some yelling that was mixed with gasps and crying that I stopped. I didn't think I'd hit him that hard or that much but as my arm became too heavy to hold the wrench I knew I had. As it clambered to the floor I looked at Linder. He was almost unrecognizable and I felt sick as I looked at what I'd done.

Taking a step back I looked around me taking in everyone's shocked and horrified expressions. My eyes fell on Vince first with Mia and Letty just behind him almost like they were afraid to come too close. I could see Ellie sitting in his car but she was just looking around confused. It made me feel at least a little better to know she hadn't seen. She didn't need this too.

"What happened?" Mia asked softly as her eyes were glued to Linder.

I moved to block her view. "Go home," I told them.

"Dom, what did you do?" she asked again, her eyes filling up.

Sirens filled the air and I knew someone must have called the police. I couldn't just run, not with them staring at me like that. "I had to, Mi. I…"

Mia went to step towards me but Letty wrapped an arm around her to stop her. I frowned at the action but Letty just looked away from me. "Come on, Dom. You need to get out of sight."

At Letty's words I looked down at myself. There was blood spattered all over me. I touched my face carefully and felt blood there too. I must have looked horrifying. "I had to," I mumbled. "Believe me I had to."

I didn't have to turn to see the flashing lights come up the street. I knew they were there, even with the sirens now turned off. Vince looked over me at them as he stepped closer. When he was almost right in front of me he whispered quietly. "Dom, the police would have dealt with this. He would have paid for what he did to your Dad."

"And what he did to Ellie," I said sadly and we shared a look.

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking back at Ellie briefly before he looked at Linder.

The cops were yelling now as they started to approach on foot. "He must have pushed her harder than we thought. You were right. She doesn't remember anything. She has to go through the pain of losing Dad all over again and God knows what else she can't remember. You have to keep a close eye on her, V. I need you to watch out for her." I was desperate now. I had to make sure someone was going to be there for her before I was taken away because now that person couldn't be me. "Promise me you'll help her get better."

Vince was just staring at me now. "You mean, she really isn't okay?"

"No, she's not… I had to do it."

He opened his mouth to respond but the police were there too fast. They knocked me to the ground and one of them handcuffed me. I could just imagine the amount of guns pointed at me and I closed my eyes. They escorted me over to the squad car and roughly threw me into the backseat. I looked out the window to see my Ellie one more time because this wasn't something I would be able to get out of easily. I had failed as her big brother, her protector, but the thing that scared me the most was that I didn't completely regret what I had done.


	5. Chapter 5

**Apologies for not having this posted earlier, I was out of town but there will still be a chapter posted on Monday. We hope you are enjoying the story and want to thank you for the reviews.**

Chapter 5

**Vince's P.O.V.**

"What do you mean she's not okay?" Mia asked fearfully and it amazed me that after everything that had happened she found the strength.

I briefly glanced over to Letty who took Mia's hand in her own almost preparing herself for the worst. I let out a long sigh, "All I know is what Dom told me."

I didn't want to overwhelm her with information so I kept out the part of Linder being the reason Ellie was hurt for the time being. I understood why Dom did what he did, hell I was angry at the son-of-a-bitch too, but now he was being held until his court date and I had to step up and play man of the house. I had grown up with the Torettos but being the one they all turned to actually scared me. I wanted to be the one who teased them, who helped them sneak in after being out all night, not the one that had to make all the hard decisions. What if I messed up? Dom would never forgive me. I'd never forgive myself.

"It was Linder, wasn't it?" Letty questioned with an almost growl in her voice. You could see the anger building in her as she pieced together what happened. "That's why Dom left…that's why he went after him. Linder isn't just the reason Mr. T is dead. He did something to Ellie, didn't he?"

My eyes flicked between the two of them sitting on the couch in front of me. Was I supposed to tell them? I thought about what Mr. T would do and I could hear his voice as clear as day in my head telling me to tell the truth. I remembered the conversation we had once back when my mom was sick and I had lied to him about why I missed my shift at the garage. He explained that he understood why I had lied but that it was always better to tell the truth and that in the long run things would work out how they were supposed to.

Going on his example I slowly nodded. "We didn't know Ellie had come to the race until after the crash happened. I tried to stop her but she pulled away from me. When I saw her running onto the track I tried to get through the crowd but by the time I got close Dom was being held back by security. I searched for Ellie and my eyes landed on her as she connected her fist with Linder's jaw." I smiled sadly at her intensity then swallowed hard as the image of her falling backwards flashed through my mind. "I grabbed Dom's arm and when he saw why I did he came without protest. By the time we got over to where they were Linder had left and she was lying on the ground."

Mia's hand was over her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes. Letty looked as furious as Dom had been when he left the house. "He hit her?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "I know that she was hitting him one minute and the next she was on the ground. He heard us coming and took off. If Dom saw him hit her Linder would have been dead on the spot. Everything about that day is such a blur."

"What day?" Ellie asked from the hallway looking nothing like the girl I knew. Her once vibrant clothes were now deep shades of blue or black and looked to be two sizes too big. She came into the living room and her face scrunched into confusion as she knelt in front of Mia. "Hey, what's wrong?" When Mia didn't answer she craned her neck around to look at me. "Why is she crying? What happened?" She turned her attention back to Mia and wiped her tears with the corner of her sleeve. "It's alright, Mi. Does this have to do with why Dom and Dad missed breakfast?"

As Mia's eyes drifted to mine she began to cry harder. It was clear she was struggling to hold it all together anymore. It was like watching every inch of her slowly crumble and Letty didn't look much better either. She always could keep herself together but even she was showing signs of breaking. Everything was coming at us so fast and so hard. Part of me felt grateful that Ellie couldn't remember because it meant her mind was safe from all of this.

"I'm so sorry, Ellie," Mia began to cry. "We should have done something sooner."

Ellie frowned, looking between all three of us. The poor girl had no idea what was going on. She was well and truly out of the picture.

"Sorry for what?" she asked as her eyes darted between the three of us. "Is it Dom? Did something happen to him? Did something happen to Daddy?"

The pitch of her voice was high now. It sounded almost strangled. It seemed like she was finally accepting that something wasn't right, that maybe we weren't all messing with her.

"Dom might have to go away for a while," Letty spoke softly as Mia struggled to speak.

Ellie looked over at me. She didn't have to say anything. I knew she was waiting for me to give her all the answers.

"He attacked Linder," I finally told her. "Beat him up so bad that he's probably going to go to prison."

She shook her head repeatedly. Her face scrunched up in confusion as she tried to process it. "Why would he do that? Dom wouldn't do that. He knows Daddy would be mad at him for fighting."

"He did it for a number of reasons," I said sadly. I would have done what Dom did in a heartbeat but even I knew it was the wrong way to go about things.

"One of them being that Linder pushed you," Letty told Ellie, gaining her attention again. "Do you remember that?"

"Maybe," she said still looking confused like she was trying to piece it all together in her mind. "I went to tell Daddy it was okay that he lost the race and I remember Linder…and then being on the ground. Why would he push me?"

"We think it's because you hit him," Mia answered as she finally got control of her emotions.

"Why would _I_ hit him? Daddy always said that if you lose then you should lose like a man. The only thing that makes you a loser is thinking you should have something you didn't deserve. He would have tried again and he would have won. I had no reason to hit Linder or anything. You guys aren't making any sense."

She sounded frustrated now as she got up and stepped away from us all. She wrapped her arms around herself. I could see a war raging behind her eyes. Part of her was remembering but the rest of her was pushing it down. Linder pushing her had to have led to her hitting her head and losing parts of her memory but part of me was beginning to think that maybe she was too afraid of the truth so her mind was locking it away.

"You have to listen to me, kid," I tried. "No one deserves to go through this, especially not twice."

"Twice?" Ellie repeated before she got angry and her breathing increased. "What are you talking about? I haven't been through anything!"

"Then why have you changed so much?" I asked her seriously as I motioned to the clothes she was wearing. "You cover up in clothes that are too big for you and your clothes are so dull now, you never wear any bright colors. You look drained and ill even. Why do you think that's happened?"

"I don't know," she mumbled, her gaze dropping to the floor. "I just wanted a change, it's nothing."

"Ellie, you know the truth," I tried again softly, taking a step towards her. "Deep down I know you do. You probably won't remember but you know that something isn't right. That the things that have been said recently are real."

Her bottom lip trembled as tears rolled down her cheeks, "What truth?"

"Baby, Dom wasn't being cruel when he said he went to your Dad's funeral," I told her. She looked to Letty and Mia who both nodded their heads remorsefully at her. "It really was your Dad's funeral. Linder won the race but only because he clipped your Dad's car."

"What are you saying?" Ellie asked. Her voice was so quiet that I would have missed it if I wasn't watching her.

"He crashed," I answered, not wanting to go into too much detail. In time she would probably remember and the process needed to be made as easy as possible.

"No, you're lying!" she yelled. Before I could step closer or say another word she grabbed one of the small photos off of the fireplace and threw it at me. With every step I took she threw something else. "He's going to come home and he's going to be so angry with Dom! You're all wrong. Daddy has nothing to do with Dom's anger issues!"

Mia got off the couch and tried to get Ellie to calm down though her own tears streamed down her cheeks. "El, please, just sit down and talk to us."

"No!" she screamed, her eyes darting around the room and her breathing hitching. She grabbed a vase of flowers that some relatives had sent after the funeral and threw it as hard as she could against the wall causing the glass to shatter. "Where is he? Where's Dad?! I want to see him right now!" I shared a quick look with Mia wondering if we should take her to the cemetery or not but as she backed herself into the corner of the room she slid to the floor in heart wrenching sobs. She threaded her fingers through her hair and screamed out of frustration, "I don't understand!"

Letty had her arms wrapped around a sobbing Mia and I carefully stepped over the broken glass so I could get to Ellie. I sat down next to her and pulled her into my lap just letting her cry it out. At first she pushed against me and tried to get away but eventually she settled. As she buried her face against my chest I loosened my grip on her enough to let her breathe but I wouldn't let go, not now, not when she needed me the most. That was the worst part though, she didn't really need me, she needed Dom and her father, and I couldn't give her either.

Day one of being the man of the house hadn't gone so well and I could only hope it would get easier.

***Fast and Furious***

Four weeks had passed since Dom had gotten arrested and his trial was coming up today. I had been wrong in thinking this job was ever going to get easier. Mia took Ellie to her follow up with the doctor who prescribed some anti-anxiety medication because the poor girl still wasn't remembering everything. Mia asked about maybe taking her to the gravesite but he advised against it for the time being. She had broken down crying five more times like that first day to the point she was almost inconsolable.

Ellie tried to rationalize everything like Mr. T wasn't around because he was busy at the shop or Dom hadn't come home that night because he was out on a date with Letty. As the time passed and Mr. T hadn't showed up she became angry thinking he had changed and was ignoring the family. The doctor had recommended she get back into her normal routine and that it might help her remember so she started going back to school.

I was sitting at the kitchen table staring at the check book in front of me wondering why they hadn't invented something that would balance it for you when Mia came in the back door intently reading a piece of paper.

"Don't tell me it's another bill," I muttered and scribbled down a few numbers on some scrap paper. I was this close to paying someone to do this for me. When she didn't answer I looked up to see her rereading the page with a frown on her face. "What is it?"

She sighed and handed the paper over to me. I saw that it was from Ellie's school and quickly started to scan the words. "They say her grades have slipped too much in the past few weeks for her to move up next year."

"Why would they hold her back a year?" I questioned angrily as I looked at the page again for answers. "She used to be top of her class. Her dad passed away you would think they'd allow for some leeway."

Mia slouched down in the chair across from me and mumbled, "She's not getting better, V." She tried to blink back the tears but it was no use and they spilled onto her cheeks. "Dad's gone, Dom's not here, and now I've lost her too. I just want my family back."

I reached across the table and placed my hand on top of hers but before I could say anything Ellie came through the front door. She dropped her school bag by the front door and shuffled into the kitchen. Mia hastily wiped away her tears before she could see and plastered on her smile.

"Hey, kid, how'd you get home?" I asked a little worried because even though she had been cleared by the doctor to drive I still didn't like it.

She shrugged my question off as she pulled a Snapple from the refrigerator, "Sam gave me a lift. He was acting so weird. Kept saying he was so sorry and that he couldn't imagine what I must be going through." I shared a look of concern with Mia wondering if she was going to breakdown again and I was genuinely surprised when she let out a little chuckle. "I mean it was just a breakup it's not like someone died." Mia's smile faltered but Ellie didn't seem to notice as she came over and looked at the check book on the table. "What are you doing with Dad's checks?"

"Uh," I stuttered for a second trying to think of something to say but in the end I opted for the truth, at least part of it. "I'm balancing the checkbook."

She rolled her eyes and ruffled my hair, "You're sucking up for something. What, do you want a Saturday off for some hot date? You know Dad will let you off just have to ask…and I'm sure he'd be more likely to say yes if you didn't mess up his money."

"Any headaches today?" Mia asked her, thankfully changing the subject.

I watched as she sighed and rubbed the back of her head where the bump had finally disappeared. "No, but I am exhausted. If Daddy comes home tell him I already did my homework."

"Did you?" Mia questioned.

Ellie didn't answer instead just walked out of the kitchen, "I'm going to go lie down."

Mia turned to me looking for answers I didn't have and wished I did.

***Fast and Furious***

**Dom's POV**

My lawyer continued to talk. He was spouting the same stuff that he had repeated a thousand times before. It was all about what I should say and what I shouldn't say. There were too many witnesses that saw me do it and with that amount blood on my clothes there was no way that I could plead not guilty. This was all about making my sentence as short as possible. The sympathy card was where we were going. I was playing the part of a man at his wits end, not that I even had to pretend. Father just passed away a little over a month ago, little sister is suffering from memory loss and all at the hands of Kenny Linder. It was in no way an excuse to beat him up but it did give some kind of reason as to why I had gotten so angry.

I had avoided visitors for as long as possible. I let Vince in the most just so I could get updates on everyone and fill him on things from my end. I saw Letty and Mia a couple of times but their visits only served to remind me of how much I had messed up. Ellie never came to see me and we all figured that was for the best. I tried to speak to her once on the phone but the second I mentioned that I couldn't come home she got angry. I tried to explain why but that only resulted in her breaking down. I never called her again after that. 

I had talked to my lawyer and he arranged a time that I could sit and talk to Vince alone before my trial. If things didn't go as planned then I wouldn't have the chance to say what I had to. I sat in the small room with my hands cuffed in front of me and one of my ankles cuffed to the bottom of the chair. They explained that it was procedure but even the thought that they were afraid of me made my stomach turn.

Vince was led into the room and the cop explained that he would be right outside the door. He came in and sat across from me, looking more tired than I had ever seen him before. "You ready for this?"

"No," I answered truthfully but left it at that. I wasn't sure how long they were going to give us and there were a few things I needed to know. "How's the girls?"

Vince forced a smile, "They're getting there. I think Mia pulls her strength from Letty, we've been trying to get into a routine but it's just not the same without you brother."

"I need you to take care of a few things for me," I started and waited for him to nod to continue. "I want you to call up Harry he'll be able to give you the name of some mechanics in the area to help keep the shop open. Mia should be able to handle the café and if I know her she'll need something to keep her mind busy. I'm sure Letty will help out where ever she can but only if she wants I know I put her in a bad place too." I paused for a second to prepare myself for the next question. "How's Ellie? Is she remembering?"

Vince shook his head as he wrung his hands, a nervous trait he had picked up from his mother, and cleared his throat. "She's back in school, doctor cleared her to drive but also put her on some pills for anxiety. There will be times she catches on something isn't right and we explain it to her all over again. Dom, I don't know anymore if she doesn't remember or doesn't want to. I don't know how to keep telling her that your dad isn't coming back."

I swallowed hard to keep the tears in, I should have been there for her when she needed me the most instead of letting my anger get the best of me. "Vince, there's a safe in the back of the closet in my dad's room, combination is Ellie's birthday, there's more than enough money in there for a plane ticket."

"Plane ticket?"

I nodded, "If things don't go well today-"

"Dom," Vince cut me off but I needed to say it and better yet he needed to hear it.

"If things don't go well today and Ellie doesn't get better I want you to send her to Tokyo." Vince looked ready to object but I shook my head. "Han is like a brother to me and I know he'll watch after Ellie like she was his blood. After Mom died I spent the summer with him and from that day on I knew that I could trust him with anything. Ellie can't keep reliving his death, it's not fair on her, maybe this will help and when I get out we'll see how things are."

The cop from earlier walked in the room with my lawyer. "Time is up."

I gave Vince a hug the best I could while in cuffs and whispered in his ear, "Promise me, V."

"I promise, brother. I won't let you down."

Vince was made to leave the room first. Once he was clear of the room they started to undo the cuff that was around my ankle. As they worked my lawyer went over some last minute details and reminded me how things should run. He told me I shouldn't be too trusting so I was to only answer the question asked and not to go into further detail.

When I was cleared to leave the room I got up from the chair. I made my way out of the room where I was greeted by another guard. He and the one who had removed the handcuff walked either side of me. When we got closer one of the guards dropped back and my lawyer took his place.

As we reached our destination my lawyer stopped me. He straightened my tie and adjusted his own before we stepped into the room. I looked straight ahead and kept my head away from where I knew the others would be sitting. A guard walked with us as we went to take our seats.

**Ellie's P.O.V.**

I tried not to let my anger show as we entered the room. There were so many people here to prove my brother guilty and see him go down. Everyone knew he had a temper but it didn't make sense. Dom wasn't stupid enough to do something like that unprovoked. Sure Daddy lost but he always told us that if he lost then he deserved it, he clearly wasn't good enough or deserving of a win. Dom knew that, so he wouldn't get into trouble not when we all needed him.

We filed through and took seats as close to the front as possible. I was stuck between Vince and Mia. The former put his arm around my shoulders and Mia made sure to sit extra close. It was like they were trying to protect me. Even Letty who sat at the end next to Mia kept looking in my direction.

They had all argued about me coming. I never let on that I could hear them. From the sounds of it Daddy wouldn't be coming so I knew I had to. Dom needed all the support he could get I was just confused on why they all seemed to be fussing over me.

We weren't seated long before everything started to fast forward. The jury came in, the lawyers came in, Dom came in, guards came in and then the judge came in so we all had to stand until he took his seat. Before I knew what was happening people were being called up, put under oath and asked questions. I'd seen this kind of thing on TV all the time but it was completely different in person. The lawyers were being so brutal in their fight over Dom and he hadn't even taken the stand yet. Some of the words I didn't quite understand and my eyes flicked between both lawyers like I was watching a tennis match.

When he did finally take the stand I could see how different he looked. He was pale, his skin almost transparent and it was clear he had lost some weight. Surely the court would see that there was no way he did what everyone was saying?

I looked up at Vince as Dom was put under oath. Vince squeezed my shoulder and gave me a soft smile. Throughout the questioning I blocked out most of what was being said. All I could focus on was how everyone looked. Every expression that crossed their faces I tried to decipher. It was only when they stopped asking about Dom's past and got to Dad's race that my mind zoned in on their words.

Linder's lawyer circled him like a hawk did searching for its prey. "The day in question was a big day for your family, is that right?"

"Yes," Dom answered simply.

"Care to explain why for the jury."

Dom's eyes flicked over to his lawyer and after a subtle nod he elaborated. "It was my Dad's big race. He was really good at handling a car and Linder was one of the biggest opponents he would face."

What did Dom mean Dad _was_ really good? He still _is_ good; he'll fix the Charger up and be back on the track in no time.

"So the race started off pretty good, pretty average, but then something happened?"

Dom's eyes flashed with a pain I wasn't able to understand. "Linder clipped my Dad's car and sent him flying into a brick wall." I clamped my eyes shut as flashes of what Dom was describing came to mind. It scared me how clearly I was seeing it but there was no way it was true. I remembered ripping myself from Vince's grasp to get to the track. I had to get to Daddy to make sure he was alright and to tell him that it was okay. "I wanted to believe my father was alive but then…" As I opened my eyes I caught sight of Dom as he shook his head as if trying to get rid of the images from his mind. "There's just no way he would walk away from it. Kenny Linder killed my dad."

I could feel my chest rumble as a growl threatened to rise out of it. If Kenny Linder killed my dad I would know about it. I would be able to feel it if my dad was dead. I didn't feel a damn thing so he was still very much alive. Was my brother's temper really making him this delusional?

In my attempt to stand up and speak out Mia grabbed my wrist and stopped me. She pulled me back into my seat and gave me a look. It was somewhat stern and somewhat pleading. I sighed audibly as I sat back in my seat and folded my arms over my chest. Vince put his arm back around my shoulders but said nothing.

"I know this is hard to hear," Mia whispered to me. "But you're going to get yourself kicked out. Dom needs us in here."

I ignored her as I looked back to see what other ridiculous things could come out of their mouths.

"And that in itself is a terrible crime but that's not why you went after Mr. Linder is it?"

"No," Dom admitted. I sat a little further forward so I could pay close attention. This wasn't making any sense if it wasn't about Daddy's race then why would Dom have gone after Linder.

His lawyer voiced my question. "Why did you go after him?"

"Because of my little sister Ellie – Erela. She's suffering from memory loss. She's struggling to understand what's happening."

I could feel myself growing angry now. I understood everything. I wasn't suffering from any sort of memory loss. They were wrong. I didn't want Dom to go down for this but at the same time I didn't want them to use these lies.

"And you blame Mr. Linder for your sister's memory loss?"

"I do. He pushed her over when she confronted him about making my father crash. She must have hit her head harder than we thought." His voice was full of guilt as he searched out where I was sitting. Vince rubbed his thumb on my shoulder but I shrugged him off.

Linder's lawyer opened a file he was carrying around and readjusted his glasses as he read whatever was in there. "Maybe your sister is lying about her memory loss."

"She is not," Dom growled. His eyes were narrowed and his body tense. "She doesn't even believe she's forgotten anything. She expects my father to walk through the door and he's never going to."

"Because Mr. Linder killed him?" the lawyer kept hounding him with too many questions and my heart rate picked up with each one.

I practically growled at the words. Nobody killed my dad, he was perfectly fine.

"Yes," Dom admitted in defeat as he sunk back into his chair. "I was a terrible brother. I thought she was just being difficult, having a hard time coping, but she wasn't. When the doctor told me what was wrong with her I knew I had to go after Linder. I only meant to hit him once, to show him that I knew what he had done and that I wouldn't let him take away anyone else from me. But as I hit him I started to remember what he had done to my dad and how my life will never be the same again."

Linder's lawyer seemed to smile at Dom's words. "So you admit you beat him?"

"You know I did," Dom sighed. "And you know that even though I regret doing it that probably won't change anything. I love my family though and everything I did was because I felt like that was being taken away from me. I'm sorry for what I did but Kenny Linder is not an innocent man."

I stood up as Dom's words settled in. My hands clenched into fists as I held them by my sides. People started to turn to look at me and the judge ordered me to sit down.

"Stop lying!" I yelled at Dom. "Tell them you didn't do anything."

"Erela," Dom said softly as he tried to stand up. "Sit down, _please_."

"No! You're all stupid for listening to this," I cried out in anger. "Dom wouldn't do this. My dad is fine, you'll see. Call him! Tell him to come here and this whole thing can be cleared up!"

The whole room started whispering and looking at each other. The judge was trying to tell me again to sit down and he even threatened to have me removed.

"He's going to be here, you'll see. My dad isn't dead and I'm fine so there's no way Dom would have done what you're all saying. Please, my dad will be so angry and Dom doesn't deserve that. Please you have to let him go! He's my brother, you can't do this!"

I could see the guards making their way towards me. Vince wrapped an arm around me but I was still screaming for them to let Dom go. They were all liars and they weren't going to get away with it. Surely Dom would get into more trouble for lying when the courts realized that my Dad was still alive?

"I've got her, I'm taking her out," Vince announced holding out his hand briefly to keep the guards away. "We're going. I've got this. Don't touch her!"

Despite practically being dragged from the room by Vince I still continued to yell. I only stopped when I caught sight of Dom. He looked sick. I tried to get away so I could reach him. I always helped when Dom was sick. I would make my famous hot chocolate and then I would sit on his bed with him and we would watch old black and white movies. He always said I made him feel better.

My eyes caught Letty's as I struggled. Mia was sobbing and Letty had a worried expression. Why weren't they helping? Why wasn't anyone helping? Dom needed me and they were just going to lock him up and throw away the key. I tried one last time to get away from Vince but we were already out of the room. As the door slammed shut in front of me it was like a switch went off inside of me.

I went completely still and Vince finally let go of me. I just stood there staring at the closed door. I could feel my body sway from side to side as I refused to look away. Every inch of my body was completely relaxed to the point where I felt like it wasn't even my body. My mind was completely numb and I wasn't going to move from this spot until they let Dom go.

Vince tried to catch my line of sight and finally put both hands on either side of my face so I had no choice. "Ellie, look at me. I need you to calm down. Can you do that for me?" I shook my head in the negative as tears rolled down my cheeks. I didn't understand. Vince was Dom's best friend, his second, his brother and he was just going to let him get locked up for something he didn't do. Why was no one helping me? Not Letty, not Mia, no one seemed to care that we were about to lose our brother. He tried to move me over to one of the benches in the lobby but I rooted my feet in place. "Baby, let's just go sit down until they are done. I'm going to stay with you, okay?"

"We need to get back in there, he didn't do this!" I screamed in his face as I pushed him in the chest. "Vince we need to call Daddy. This is going too far!"

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug that I tried to get away from. "I'm so sorry, El." He whispered as he held onto me and as much as I tried to fight him off I just couldn't.

I don't know how long we stood like that for but eventually people started filing out of the court room. I craned my neck around Vince looking for Dom. Mia came out and took me in her arms as she sobbed. I wrapped my arms around her and soothed her hair down. "It's okay, Mi. Daddy will fix this."

Vince turned his attention to Letty who choked out through her tears, "He got five years in Lompoc."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Ellie's P.O.V**

**July**

Dom was sentenced to five years in prison and I still didn't understand why. It didn't matter how many times people told me, it just didn't make any sense. As the days went by I knew that Dom really wasn't coming home and I hadn't seen daddy in a while. Maybe this was the final straw and he left us. I tried to think of other solutions because I didn't want to believe it. Maybe he was on a business trip. One of the things he had always been adamant on was taking me to school on the first day back, it didn't matter how old I was. So he would be here for that. He would make sure I had everything I needed, he'd drive me right up to the front of the school, and kiss the back of my hand for good luck. Daddy would be back.

He had to be.  
><strong><br>August**

Summer vacation was coming to a close. Daddy always liked to spend time with us as a family when we had time off of school because it meant that everyone was more likely to be free and have the time but this entire summer he hadn't been here. I got headaches just thinking about it and I knew something wasn't quite right. Vince had spoken about phone calls from my school and Mia had mentioned how things would be a little different this year. I didn't pay much attention. I did what work I could to prepare for the new year and I kept to myself. This time off from school wasn't the same. Even though I did get to go to the garage it wasn't right with Dad and Dom not being there. It had been the one place that I was able to go and get away from it all. Now it just seemed like another missing piece of the puzzle.

**September**

A new school year but Vince, Mia and Letty surprised me by telling me I wasn't going in as early as the other kids. There had been more doctor visits with the same questions that I never got the answers to. My headaches came few and far between but something still wasn't quite right. It was as if I was trying to remember a dream but there was a wall in my mind. I was sent a reading list but they must have made a mistake because it was the exact same list I got for the year I had just completed. In fact, everything they sent me was all old stuff. Some of it could be useful but most of it wouldn't help this year. It wasn't until the middle almost second half of September that I finally went for my first day back. Worst of all, Daddy wasn't there. Mia drove me but it wasn't the same. I was starting to wonder if he would ever come back.

Was it something I did?

**October**

As it turns out the mistakes weren't mistakes at all and they really were holding me back a year. My grades weren't that bad from the year prior and I didn't want to or need to re-sit the year. How did they expect me to concentrate on all of this again? It had to count as some kind of cruelty to make someone sit through all of this a second time. Well, I wasn't doing it. I'd done the projects and the essays so why should I do it again? It wasn't all exactly the same but that's beside the point. How was I supposed to do anything with my life if I couldn't even finish school? I tried calling Daddy's cell phone when no one was around, hoping he could talk some sense into them but it always went straight to voicemail.

**November **

The month everything changed.

I looked out of my window as I sat at my desk. Mia had told me hours ago to go upstairs and work on my homework. Instead I had curled up on my desk chair and just stared out of the window. I hadn't changed since I got in or even opened my bag to bother with my work. I'd talked myself into doing a couple of pieces since starting back but in all honesty I didn't have the will power. It was like all of my energy had been completely drained.

A hard knock at the door brought me out of my thoughts but I didn't move. For the briefest of seconds I thought it might have been Daddy but like always a couple more knocks followed before the door opened up. From the heavy steps I knew it was Vince who stepped in and any hope I had left as quickly as it came. As I turned to face him he didn't look softly at me with concern nor did he try to talk to me in that chipper, fake tone he always used lately but instead he kept his gaze at his feet. He shut the door behind him and let out a sigh letting me know something was seriously wrong.

**Vince's P.O.V.**

**Twenty minutes earlier**

_After Mia told Ellie to go up to her room to do her homework I had ushered her and Letty into the kitchen. We all sat down at the table and they waited for me to speak. It had been months since Dom's trial. I listened to him when he said that Ellie should go to Tokyo but I wanted to hold off as long as possible. Part of me hoped that she would snap out of it. I could see her struggling to deny the truth now, making it all too clear that even if she did remember her mind was blocking it out, putting up some kind of wall to protect her._

_Mia spoke up before I had the chance to and laid her dad's cell phone on the table. "Something needs to be done. It's been months now and she isn't getting any better." She blinked back a few tears as she flipped open the phone and called his voicemail. There was message after message from Ellie. The first few she sounded like the girl I used to know but by the end she was hysterically crying. She begged him to call. That she'd do anything he wanted as long he came back. "The last message was from two weeks ago."_

_My heart broke for Ellie and I knew that I no longer had a choice. "Just before the trial Dom told me that if Ellie didn't get better then he wanted her to go to Tokyo."_

_"To Han?" Letty questioned with a hint of confusion. "Why?"_

_"He thinks it'll be good for her," I explained as I ran my hands through my hair. "And honestly I have to agree. Right now LA is just a bad memory and I think it's only making her hide from the truth more. A change of scenery could do wonders for her. Plus with the way she's going she's going to fail this year of school again or worse, she's gonna make herself sick. As much as we want her here with us she can't just sit in her room looking out her window waiting for Mr. T to come back."_

_"It might work," Letty reluctantly agreed. "She would have to go soon if she wants to get settled before school or anything like that."_

_"I know, I was thinking she should go now before Christmas and that hits," I told them. I didn't want to sound cruel but if Ellie stayed for Christmas then I probably would never let her go. I ran a hand over my face as I looked at Mia. She hadn't spoken a word since I had mentioned Tokyo. "It's up to you, Mi. Letty and I care, we're her family but you're her blood so the decision is ultimately yours. We'll be behind you whatever you decide."_

_Mia didn't once tear her gaze from her dad's cell phone. "Someone better call Han and tell her to pack."_

_Letty and I stared at each other. Seeing it was for the best I knew Mia would eventually agree but I didn't expect her answer to come so quick. She barely hesitated as she spoke and I knew just from that that things had gotten too out of hand._

"_Are you sure?" I questioned, trying to search her face for any reluctance but I only saw pain._

_She nodded and finally met my eyes, "It's what Dom would do. I just want my sister back."_

_"I'll call Han," Letty said softly._

_"Both of you talk to him, he's going to need to know everything, and look into flights," I said as I stood up from the table. "I'll go tell Ellie."_

_Mia just looked down at her lap were her hands were cradled. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before I headed to tell Ellie. This was going to be the hardest thing I ever had to do. It broke my heart to think that we were sending her away but I knew it was for the best._

**Ellie's P.O.V.**

Vince carefully sat on the end of my bed and let out a deep breath. "Ellie…"

"What?" I questioned with a little more attitude than was necessary but if he was just going to get on my case about school again then I didn't want to hear it.

"Come here, kid," he patted the bed next to him, his eyes still not leaving my carpeted floor.

I groaned in annoyance as I stood up and crossed my arms, "Look, if this is just going to be another lecture-"

"It's not," he cut me off and met my eyes for the first time since walking into my room.

To see his always caring and protective eyes swimming with tears made me instantly fill with worry. "V? What happened? Is everyone alright? Is it Mia? Did something happen to Dom? Daddy didn't call, did he?"

"No, baby, nothing like that," he assured, pulling me to sit down on the bed next to him. The nickname did little to calm my nerves because he'd only use it when something bad happened. I had just opened my mouth to ask again what was going on when he spoke up. "We've been talking and we think it would be best if you went to see Han for awhile."

"We're going on vacation?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. I couldn't tell you the last time I saw Han but he visited when he could. Going to see him in Tokyo sounded like fun. Maybe I could get Mia to buy me some new clothes.

"That's not what I meant," he swallowed hard and ran a thumb over my cheek. "It's just you going, El."

I pulled away from him and got off the bed, "What? Why would I go to Tokyo by myself?"

"We thought-"

"Who is 'we'?" I cut him off him, my breaths coming out in short pants as my heart rate rose and my eyes started to water in rage. I hadn't heard from Dom directly since the trial and Daddy was still not answering my calls. Had all of them been in contact this whole time? Were they laughing behind my back at how worried and confused I had been? "Daddy? Dom? Mia? Who?" When he didn't answer right away I tore down the stairs to see Letty and Mia both huddled around the house phone. "Did you know about this?!"

Mia handed the phone off to Letty and came towards me with tears in her eyes. Why was everyone crying? "Ellie, it's for the best."

"You want to send me away?" The tears cascaded from my cheeks now and every step she took towards me I took a step back. "Is this why Daddy hasn't been home? Did you want him to leave too? What about Dom? Why are you trying to break this family apart?!"

"Erela Toretto, that is enough!" Vince hollered from the stairs as he made his way down to the first floor.

"I won't go!" I screamed at the both of them. "And you can't make me!"

**Early December**

The car ride to the airport was filled with uncomfortable silence. I was still upset they were forcing me to leave behind the only home I'd ever known. I didn't understand why I couldn't stay with my family. Mia was going to be staying in the house with Vince and Letty but no not me. I was being shipped off to Japan to live with Han for awhile until _everything gets sorted out_ as everyone kept repeating to me like some broken record.

"This isn't permanent," Vince reminded me as he changed lanes and took the exit for the airport.

I sighed and kept my gaze out the window. Los Angeles had always been my home and though we went on vacation a few times as a family I'd never been out of the States before. At the risk of sounding like a whiney teenager I wanted to stomp my foot and scream that this wasn't fair. It wouldn't do me any good though they had all made up their minds and there was nothing I could do to change that. Mia had hugged me tight and shed more than a few tears before I got into Vince's car. I stood there with a look of betrayal on my face until Letty sent me a glare and I wrapped one arm around Mia's back giving her a half hug.

"Dad wouldn't have sent me away," I muttered under my breath but it must have been loud enough for Vince to have heard me because he shifted in his seat a bit.

"I know I'm not your dad or Dom," Vince started softly. We were getting even closer to the airport now and I wasn't sure I wanted to hear this. "I have no right to make you go but trust me Ellie, it'll be good for you. Think of it as a vacation, you deserve one."

"This is not a vacation," I spat. "This is you three kicking me out of my own home."

"Don't do that," he mumbled to himself. He had yelled at me a couple of times over this process but it never lasted, his words turning from demanding to pleading. "We're not kicking you out, I promise."

"Then why am I the only one going?" I questioned, trying to make him see how it looked and felt from my point of view. "We've all been through hell lately and I think the _four_ of us deserve a break, not just me."

"I have to stay here," he tried to reason, giving me the same spiel all over again. I was pretty sure that at this point I could have repeated it word for word. "We need the businesses more than ever. We can't afford to shut down the garage and café for a few weeks."

"Mia or Letty could have come with me, you don't need them both," I argued, but as the airport came clearly into view something he said stood out to me. "What do you mean a few weeks?" He looked at me briefly but didn't say anything. He just concentrated on finding somewhere to park so he could help me with my suitcase and that. "Vince," I growled in warning. "How long are you sending me away for?"

It wasn't until we were parked up and the engine was cut that he replied in defeat. "I don't know. It could be a couple of weeks, it could be a couple of months."

"Months? But it will be Christmas soon," I argued. "And New Years, we always bring in the new year in as a family."

"I know," he replied sadly as he nodded his head. He was looking down at his lap. "I'm sorry."

"I…" I wanted so much to tell him I hated him but I couldn't do it. My eyes started to swell up with tears and he finally looked at me. "So much for you having no right to make me go."

I turned and got out of the car before he could respond. As he got out of the car I was already at the trunk and opening it up. I took out my carry-on bag and put it over my shoulder. I then reached in and took hold of my suitcase. I tugged on the handles and managed to get it to stand up on its side. Just as I was about to pull it out of the trunk Vince grabbed a hold of it to help me, but in my anger I let go of the case and shoved him away.

"Don't," I said angrily as I turned back to pull the case out again. "I've got it. I can do it myself."

I had enough in my suitcase to last me at least two weeks and then some. I was still convinced that I didn't need that much but Mia said that if I took more of my favourite things I might feel more at home, especially going to Tokyo alone. Eventually I got the case out and set it down on the ground.

I pulled up the handle on it and started walking. I could hear Vince shut the trunk quickly and lock the car up. As angry as I was I didn't walk too fast, just enough to let Vince know that I was seriously pissed off.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I sat on the plane, drumming my fingers against the tray table. The flight was going quicker than I expected but that was probably because I did not want to get to Tokyo. My life was, and always will be, back in LA. This trip was never going to help me because I didn't need help, I didn't need to be fixed. Why fix something that isn't broken, right? Some might say I was lucky to get a free trip to another country and that I was going by myself without any restricting supervision, but those people probably wanted to get away from their families. I wanted mine to stay together though I suppose thinking about it now my family was already falling apart.

"Afraid of flying?"

I looked sideways to the seat on my right to see the elderly woman with wire rimmed glasses staring at me waiting for a response. For the whole flight so far she had been staring out the window so I never really paid any attention to her. The seat on the other side of me was free and I had debated moving over to give us both room but then got distracted.

"No," I finally responded, realizing she was still waiting for an answer. "I'm not a frequent flyer, but no, I'm not afraid."

"Something on your mind then?" she asked kindly, turning her body towards me slightly, letting me know that she was genuinely curious or even concerned.

I don't know what it was; maybe it was the way she held herself or the warm grandmother vibe in addition to her question, but whatever it was, I told this kind stranger my every worry. It was like once I started talking I couldn't stop and everything came pouring out of my mouth. I mean everything from the first time I met Vince and Letty all the way through until they forced me to leave the only home I had ever known behind. Anger surged through me and set my blood on fire when I told her how Dad vanished without a word and Dom was sent to prison for something he didn't do. I felt like I was drowning in my emotions and I just couldn't find the way to the top to take the deep breath I was so desperately craving.

The pilot came over the loud speaker and announced our arrival in Tokyo. The woman next to me patted me on the cheek and wished me the best before I got up to retrieve my carry on from the overhead compartment. The stewardess smiled and thanked us for flying with their airline as I walked passed before going down the long hallway into the airport. I thought LA was crowded but it was nothing compared to the sea of people in front of me. There were Japanese symbols everywhere and I started to get nervous that I would end up going the wrong way. Luckily, there were some pictures and I hoped that I was going the right direction towards the baggage claim. I hadn't spotted Han yet and since he wasn't waiting for me at the gate I just assumed he'd be waiting for me by my luggage.

As much as I didn't want to call home I promised I'd at least let them know when I landed and then I planned on not calling for awhile. They wanted to send me away then I was going to give them what they wanted and have no contact with them, to all but disappear from their lives, and maybe then they would be happy. I pressed my phone tightly to my ear as it rang trying to hear over the crowd of people.

"Hello?" A tired voice answered the phone and I almost forgot about the time difference.

"I'm here," I simply stated.

"How was the flight? Is Han there yet? Any headaches?" The questions came at rapid fire and I ignored them as I got on the escalator to take me down to baggage claim. Vince and I hadn't exactly parted on the best terms but to be honest I was a little relieved Mia hadn't answered. "Remember you have your pills with you if you need it. El, don't be afraid to take them."

"Oh look there's Han, have to go!"

I snapped my phone shut and shoved it back into my pocket, not caring that I had just lied or that I had hung up on him though I was starting to wonder where Han was. Weaving my way through the sea of people I made it to where the luggage would be coming around and I waited impatiently for the belt to start moving.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I almost jumped out of my skin. I turned around to see a guy around my age staring back at me with his hands up in mock surrender. "You Ellie?"

"What's it to you?" I shifted the strap of my carryon ready to hit him with it if I had to.

"Han sent me to pick you up."

I stared at him in disbelief, my grip loosening on my carryon strap as I digested what he said. "Excuse me?"

"Han," he repeated slowly with a slight eye roll that he had to say it again. "He sent me to pick you up."

"And who the hell are you?" I demanded.

He smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Sean." When I blankly stared at him he continued. "I moved here a while back and now if Han needs something to get picked up or dropped off I'm the guy he sends."

"And I'm just supposed to take your word that you know Han?" As I said it my mind told me that I had heard the name Sean before when talking to or about Han but this couldn't be right and I certainly didn't like feeling like some package that had to be picked up.

Although he kept his position, he dropped the smirk. "Look, how would I know his name or yours? How would I know this is where you are? I can tell just by looking at you that you don't want to be here but neither do I. There's a million other things I could be doing right now but I'm your ride and my guess is you don't have any money for a cab so take it or leave it."

I didn't say anything and just kept my mouth closed because he was right, if I didn't take him up on his offer than I would be stuck at the airport. Everything back in LA had crumbled away from me and now things were already going wrong here. I started to feel like maybe it was me, maybe I had some little black rain cloud over my head, and that with me gone everyone back in LA would be happier. That also meant that because I was here in Tokyo, little black rain cloud and all, that everyone here would soon get sick of me too. It was already starting. Han was supposed to pick me up but instead I was faced with a cocky guy who didn't even want to be here.

"You were supposed to be Han," I responded sadly, wondering how long it would be until they wanted to get rid of me too. I spotted my suitcase and shuffled passed him to hoist it off belt.

"Look, I get that you're disappointed but he was busy," Sean sighed as he came up beside me. "Come on, me picking you up instead isn't that bad, is it?"

If I had bothered to look at him I'm sure there would have been some sympathetic smile on his face but I didn't want to see it. Maybe it would be easier to just not care anymore because then I'd stop being let down. "I don't want to talk about it."

I grabbed the handle of my suitcase and pulled it along behind me as I headed towards what I assumed to be the exit. I heard Sean mutter something under his breath as he followed me and lightly grabbed my arm to point me in the other direction. He led the way to his car and a smirk pulled at the corner of his lips, "Nice ride, isn't it?"

"I prefer American muscle," I replied coldly, tossing my suitcase into the backseat before climbing into the passenger seat. Hate to admit it but it felt weird sitting on the opposite side of the car. A twist of his wrist and the car started up before he peeled away from the curb causing me to slam back into my seat. "Asshole."

"You know," he shifted and switched lanes going around a car that was going too slow, "Han told me you were a sweetheart, have to say, I'm not seeing it."

I crossed my legs and turned more towards the window, "Yeah, well, things change."

"Shame, I was just starting to look forward to your visit."

I wasn't quite sure whether he was kidding or not. He was too busy focusing on over-taking another car. As he moved back into the correct lane I looked back out of my window. It didn't matter if he was kidding. No doubt he would be begging Han to send me back to LA in a matter of days. If the family I had grown up with wanted to get rid of me then no doubt the family I hardly ever saw wouldn't want me either.

The first time I felt like smiling since landing in Tokyo was when we pulled up at a garage. The second I got out of the car the smell hit me and I felt more at home than I ever expected. Out of the whole family I wasn't the most talented when it came to cars but I was learning. Dad wanted me to complete school so I was never allowed to learn anything about cars until my school work was done. When he wasn't around Vince and Dom would let me see under the hood of a car and in the last couple of years they even let me help out on minor things.

Suddenly the familiar feeling turned cold and all I could feel was the sudden urge to hit something. Sean had already locked the car up and headed into the garage, leaving me alone. With no way to get my suitcase out I followed him inside, trying to keep my emotions in check. There were a couple of people inside working away at the cars. I tried to pin point the differences within this garage in order to separate my emotions from the garage back in LA.

Sean talking to someone grabbed my attention. I looked over to see him standing with Han. I had to admit, out of all the friends my brother had made over the years, Han was one of my favourites. Whenever he visited I always wished he would stay longer. However, when he spotted me he gave me the same soft, sympathetic smile that everyone seemed to give me lately. It was then I knew that this was going to be the longest trip of my life.

"Looks like someone went and grew up on me," Han commented as he came over and gave me a hug. I wrapped one arm around him in response but wasn't in the mood for his laid back attitude so I settled on forcing a smile instead. "You call and let them know you arrived?"

"Mmhhmm," I mumbled and he offered me a chip out of the bag he was snacking on. "Not hungry."

"Well I bet you're exhausted. I'll show you where you'll be staying and Sean will grab your bag from the car." Han started to lead me further into the garage but the further we walked the more I wanted to run in the opposite direction. I loved Han but I was an outsider here and I had never wanted to see Vince more than right now. I could have called and the old coyote would have sat on the phone with me until he knew I was alright but that was the old Vince, the one that didn't send me away from my family. I realized I wasn't paying attention to what Han had been saying when he was standing there waiting for my response. He nodded in understanding and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, "It'll get better, sunshine."

He left and I got a good look at what my room would be for the time being. It was only about a quarter of the size mine was at home and I felt like maybe they really didn't have room for me here. I was just being shoved in some closet of a room until I was all better but what if I never was? My emotions started to get the better of me and my eyes welled up with tears.

"Here you go, your highness."

I turned to see Sean standing in the doorway with my luggage but the smug smile fell when he saw my face. I angrily wiped my tears away. "Don't tell, Han, please." He looked reluctant at first but he finally nodded. "Thank you."

Sean stood there a few extra seconds shifting his weight on his feet, "You tired or you wanna come hangout tonight?"

"You don't even know me," I sniffled, trying desperately to keep the tears in and get myself back together.

"I was new once too."

I thought about it for a moment. He seemed like a nice guy and he was willing for me to tag along wherever he was going. I was going to say yes before I realized it would only be a matter of time until he was sick of me too. It would be better to never get close in the first place so it wouldn't hurt as much when I had to leave.

"I think I'm going to wash up and head to bed it's been a long day."

It seemed like a lifetime before Sean finally nodded his head. He made sure that my luggage was inside of the room properly before offering a quiet goodnight as he left, shutting the door behind him.

As soon as I heard the click of it shutting properly I let out a breath I didn't even know I'd been holding and suddenly a wave of tears followed. I stumbled backwards and as my legs hit the bed I just allowed myself to fall back onto it. With as much strength as I could muster I rolled onto my side, pulled my legs up to my chest and curled in on myself. 

**Sean's Point of View**

Twinkie and I had hung out longer than I had expected to that night but as he went down the hallway towards his room I started towards the bathroom to shower before turning in for the night. I was tired as all hell and barely dragging my feet down the hall when a noise stopped me. I stood perfectly still waiting to see if I heard it again and when I had just convinced myself that it must have been my mind playing tricks on me I heard it again. I followed the sound until I was outside of Ellie's room. Having only met her earlier I wasn't sure if I should let myself in or go get Han but as another sob permeated the door I walked in.

I barely knew the girl but my heart completely broke at the sight of her. She was curled up on the bed and her whole body seemed to shake as she cried. After earlier I considered just quietly stepping away. She clearly didn't want anyone to know how upset she really was but the harder she cried the more I knew that I couldn't just walk away from this.

I let the door shut behind me and then moved closer to the bed. I crouched down beside it, placing one arm on the bed above her head and using my free hand to gently touch her hip. "Ellie?" I asked softly.

She lifted her head up to look at me. From the look on her face she hadn't realised that anyone was even in the room. She slowly started to look more and more like a deer caught in headlights as it actually dawned on her that I was here.

"It's okay," I told her in an effort to calm her down. "I just heard you that's all…"

"I didn't think I was that loud, I'm sorry, please don't tell Han," she begged. Her body uncurled slightly but she still stayed lying down. Tears still rolled down her cheeks but she was a lot calmer than before.

"Why do you want to keep this from Han?"

"I can't live with anymore people not wanting me."

I squeezed her hip carefully and curled my hand around slightly to touch the top of her head softly "Ellie, your family doesn't hate you."

"It sure feels like it," she said, her voice cracking slightly. "I'm not allowed to be in my real home and I don't feel like I fit in here. I love Han, I really do but I can't shift the feeling that I'm not wanted here either."

"I still kind of think you're a pain in the ass," I told her, earning myself a little chuckle from her. "But I can one hundred percent confirm that you are definitely wanted here. Han hasn't shut up about you since he found out you were coming, and that's saying something because getting something out of Han is like trying to get blood from a stone."

"He really wants me here?" she asked hopefully, sniffling back the last of her tears.

"I'd bet my car on it."

"You barely know me," she pointed out. "Why are you doing this?"

As she looked at me I noticed that she was no longer crying. There were no fresh tears and she didn't look afraid of me being there or seeing her anymore. Suddenly I realised that we had stepped over some invisible line and our 'strangers' status had changed. I coughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of my neck, "Like I said, I still think you're a pain in the ass. But by helping you I'm helping myself and making my life a hell of a lot easier."

She must have realised that I was only being half serious because she smiled at me. "Jerk."

"You love it," I told her as I fell back to sit on the floor.


	8. Chapter 8

**Wanted to clear some questions up. This is AU so in our story Sean has been in Tokyo for awhile with Han by the time Ellie shows up even though this is set before the first movie. Just how we wanted to work it. Hope that you are enjoying.**

Chapter 8

**Ellie's POV**

I woke up the next morning with a crick in my neck from the way I had slept. I would have to see about getting a pillow that actually had some stuffing in it. After changing into a fresh pair of clothes, I wandered out to see what everyone else was doing and hopefully find some food.

"Look who decided to join the land of the living," Han teased as he saw me and my eyes landed on the clock behind him. It was already afternoon, guess jetlag was catching up with me. "Sleep okay last night?"

Sean met my eyes from across the room wondering what I was going to say.

"_I'm sorry, I shouldn't be keeping you up," I apologized as he yawned for the fourth time._

_He rolled his head from shoulder to shoulder to stretch out his neck as he replied, "I'm a'right. What about you? Figured you'd be out like a light by now." I stared off for a few moments thinking about my room back home and I must have gotten too lost in my thoughts because he turned, putting a hand on my knee. "Ellie?"_

"_Hmm?" I blinked out of my thoughts and saw the concern in his eyes. It kind of caught me off guard to be honest. I was so used to people giving me these sad smiles and sympathetic pats on the shoulder but I didn't see any of that with him only pure concern. "If I was home I would have fallen asleep staring out my window waiting for…" I caught myself before I could finish. He didn't need to hear my sad story. "You know, I think I am tired after all."_

_He squeezed my knee as he got off the ground and headed for the door, "Sleep well, then."_

"_You too," I nodded and just as he was about to close the door I stopped him, "Hey, Sean!" He peeked his head back in waiting to see what I had to say. "Thanks."_

_He smiled and shook his head, "Welcome to Tokyo, Ellie."_

"Yeah," I smiled at Han, my eyes floating over to Sean for a brief second to see him trying to hide his own smile as he worked on his car. "I'm starving though, what's good to eat around here?"

"Well, we were thinking of heading out," Han informed me. "I have some things I need to do but we can all go and grab something to eat."

"Sounds good to me," I agreed. I was already ready for the day anyway. On an average lazy day back home I wouldn't even bother to get changed into proper clothes but I wasn't sure how Han would feel about that. "I'll just need to get my shoes and my stuff."

"Take some with you but don't worry too much about money, okay?" Han said, pointing a finger at me to make sure I understood. "It's my treat."

I made a promise to myself that it wouldn't be a regular thing, I would pull my weight around here even if I would rather be back in LA. "Sure," I finally agreed. "If you're busy today what am I doing?"

"I've given Sean the day off," he answered as he motioned over to Sean with his hand still inside of the bag of chips he was eating from.

I followed the bag covered hand towards Sean and our eyes met. He gave me a bit of an awkward smile. I tried to respond with my own smile but all I could think about was that we would be alone together. Last night was different. I appreciated everything he did for me, I really did but after he left I couldn't help but feel embarrassed. I would always be thankful for the all of that time he stayed talking with me but that was before I realized I had to face him alone. I was hoping to at least ease into it.

"Yeah, sounds great," I agreed, finally finding some kind of smile. "What do you have planned?"

Sean stood up a little straighter and scratched the back of his head. "I was thinking that I could show you around a bit. Might as well have an adventure while I've got the day off."

"Don't get her into trouble," Han warned, that protective side in him coming out. I always wondered if that side around me was really genuine or if it just rubbed off on him from Dom. Being the youngest Toretto I was used to my brother's friends being just as protective and I went to smile until I thought of Vince who had sent me away.

Sean held his hands up in defense as that usual smirk came into place again. "Hey, who said _she_ won't get _me_ into trouble?"

"Ha, ha," I said sarcastically as I turned back around to go and get my stuff.

***Fast and Furious***

I had to admit hanging out with Sean wasn't as nerve wracking as I thought it would be. We had gotten something to eat and he told me that I would like it because he didn't even have to put ketchup on it. My nose scrunched up in uncertainty as I stared at my plate but when I finally took a bite I had to admit it was pretty good. We drove around for awhile, Sean weaving in and out of the cars with ease, as he pointed out areas to stay away from and others that he thought I would like. We met up with his friend Twinkie and I had to bite my lip when I saw his car.

"Is that supposed to be…" I trailed off, tilting my head to the side to get a better look at the green cube of a car in front of us.

Sean chuckled, "Yeah."

"Oh," I felt a smile pulling at the corners of my lips as well. Definitely wouldn't see something like that rolling around the streets of LA.

Twinkie introduced himself and then a few of the others that started to show up. They waited until the sun started to set before starting a bonfire. Everyone one huddled around, chatting with one another while others were paired off. It was nice feeling like a teenager for one night with no worries or drama. I had become so wrapped up in talking to Neela, a friend of Sean's, that I hadn't really paid any attention to anything else. She excused herself to go say hi to a few other people and I started staring off into the fire enjoying the night.

The longer I stood there the more panic started to rise up in my chest and I wasn't exactly sure why. My hands became sweaty, my chest tightening, and my mouth dry. I leaned against Sean's car but couldn't take my eyes away from the dancing flames.

I must not have been hiding my discomfort as well as I thought because Sean stood in front of me with concern in his eyes, "Look like you saw a ghost, are you okay?"

He was blocking the view of the fire but I could still feel the heat and I had the urge to run. I wanted to get as far away as I could as quick as I could. "No," I shook my head. He put his hand on my elbow as I stumbled a bit to steady me. "I don't feel well. Can you just take me back, please?"

He just looked at me and I started to worry that maybe he was angry that I was dragging him away from having fun, after all, he was my ride and it wasn't really by much of a choice. I didn't want that to be the case so I shook my elbow from his grasp and walked away from him and the bonfire that stood nearby.

I had only taken a few steps when I felt a hand on my arm. I looked back over my shoulder to see Sean. He tugged me back towards him and made me turned around. When I did he was still looking at me.

"Ellie, what aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing, it's just been a long time since I've travelled that far," I lied. "I'm not used to it and I think I need to sleep."

I was surprised at how fast and easily the lies were coming to me but I let them. Sean didn't seem too sure and I knew he didn't believe me but eventually that smile I always saw came back.

"Okay, let's go before you ask me to read you a bed time story," he teased.

I tried to laugh but when he saw the struggle he instantly became more serious again. He offered his arm out to me and I'm ashamed to say I took it, using it as support as we headed back to his car. I saw the bonfire out of the corner of my eye and I involuntarily clung to Sean's arm, needing some kind of assurance that I wasn't alone. If he noticed he didn't say anything as he helped me into the passenger seat of his car before jogging around to his side.

The ride back to the garage was silent but Sean kept stealing side glances at me probably worried I was going to get sick in his precious car or something. The whole way Vince kept popping into my mind and I had the biggest urge for him to take me in his arms. I needed him to tell me this was all just some nightmare and that he wasn't going to let anything happen. But he wasn't here. When we got back I waved off Sean's help not wanting to worry Han but he still questioned why we were back so early. After promising him I was just tired from the long trip, I quickly made my way to my room. I closed my door behind me and slid to floor, trying to pull air into my lungs. I could still smell the fire on my clothes and it made my heart beat pick up again. I didn't know why it was freaking me out so much but I did know that it felt like I couldn't breathe. A sound between a cry and a sob escaped as I pulled my luggage to the floor, sifting through it until I found the bottle of anti-anxiety pills Vince sent me with.

His voice resounded in my head as it told me to take the pills but still I didn't want to. My hands shook as I broke out in a cold sweat, trying to figure out what to do. I stayed there for the longest time just starting at the bottle. My knees were starting to ache from kneeling on the ground for far too long but I felt like if I moved then this would all seem too real. I wasn't supposed to need them but right now they seemed like the only things that might make the slightest bit of difference. Talking wouldn't do anything, it never helped me in the past. No one here really knew how things were and no one back in LA cared anymore.

By the time I made my mind up my tears had slowed a little and my breathing had become a lot more controlled. That, however, didn't stop my heart from trying to beat right out from my chest. It was causing an unbelievable pain and I knew my breathing wouldn't stay controlled from long. I got up from the ground and removed the lid from the bottle. I held one hand out, palm up, and used the other to tip the bottle up, depositing a couple of the pills into the palm of my hand. I stood there just looking at them. If I didn't need them then they just wouldn't work, right? No harm done.

Not wanting to give myself anymore time to change my mind I put them into my mouth. I managed to swallow them down with ease. I considered going downstairs to get a drink just to be sure anyway when I heard a creaking sound over by the door. I moved over to it and noticed that it wasn't shut properly. Anxiety seemed to rise higher within me as I slowly opened the door.

Nothing lay beyond it. As I looked outside I couldn't see anyone or anything. I must not have shut the door properly when I came in. I quickly grabbed the biggest hoody I could find among my stuff and put it on. I put the hood up so that it just sat on the top of my head but didn't hide my face. I then grabbed what I needed and went over to the mirror. I did the best I could to wipe away the tears and make myself look a little better. When I could pass for being maybe a little sleep deprived or even a little sick I stopped.

With my hands tucked into the pockets I made my way towards the kitchen, hoping that I could avoid as many people as possible while I got myself a drink. If I could succeed in that then I could hibernate in my room until it would be too socially unacceptable to stay there any longer.

After I got myself a cold bottle of water from the fridge and took a few mouthfuls I was going to upstairs when I heard the noise of someone entering the room. I stepped away from the counter I had been in front of and turned around to see Sean standing in the doorway. I had to admit that if I bumped into anyone he would be the best person to run into. I knew without a doubt that he would say all the right stuff without asking too many questions, but as time ticked on I realized that those smiles and emotions I had gotten used to seeing from him were no longer there, instead he looked angry, really angry.

"Just needed something to drink," I told him, motioning to the bottle in my hand. I don't know why he looked so upset but I needed to get back into my room before I had another melt down. "Well, good night. Thanks again for bringing me back."

He scoffed as he crossed his arms over his chest and blocked the doorway. "Yeah, I can see how 'tired' you are." I went to step around him but his words stopped me. "Han know about your little drug problem? Is that why your family sent you here?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," the words rushed out of my mouth as fear crept in that I might get caught. If Han knew I had taken my anti-anxiety pills he would call home, not that they would care, but I felt like I would get in trouble.

Anger radiated off Sean in waves, "I saw you taking the pills."

My head snapped in his direction before my eyes darted around us to make sure no one could have overheard what he said. "It's not what you think."

"I think you aren't the girl I thought you were."

My chest tightened at his words. The only person I had to talk to, my only friend, and he was already figuring out what the rest of the world knew- that I was trouble. Misery followed me around like a little black rain cloud and I was going to be left all alone.

"I can explain," I pleaded, giving it one more chance because I needed to have someone in my corner. "Please, just not here."

Sean reluctantly agreed and led the way to his car. He didn't say a word to me as he climbed into the car and just waited for me to get in. I stood there beside it for a moment. I must be some kind of bad omen. My 'family' back in LA no longer wanted me and now the one in Tokyo wouldn't either. I froze when I realized that I really did consider them family.

Han had always been my family even if I didn't see him that often, but Sean? It suddenly dawned on me that having someone in my corner wasn't the only reason I wanted to make this right. I didn't want to set down roots here, I didn't want to make connections but I had. In such a short space of time I'd let him into my life and he stuck around. Now was the turning point.

I jumped as he beeped the horn suddenly. I shook myself from my daze and climbed into the passenger seat. I'd barely shut the door when he peeled out of the garage and took off down the street. I gripped the seat belt tightly as I quickly put it on. A glance towards Sean told me he was angry. His hands were gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were white and his brow was furrowed so low that his eyes looked half their original size.

"It's not what I think, huh?" he suddenly questioned. "Oh _please_, do explain."

"You're angry," I pointed out as I watched him hit the speed limit.

"Talk," he ground out, completely ignoring me.

"They're not drugs," I argued and he looked at me in disbelief. "I mean, they're not _that_ kind of drug."

I expected that to calm him down at least a little bit but the speedometer kept rising. "Care to elaborate?"

"They're for anxiety," I whispered, hanging my head so I wouldn't have to look at him.

"Anxiety?" The anger in his voice wavered slightly but his speed only continued to increase and I held onto the door.

"Yes," I nodded my head as I finally looked over to him. "I was given them back in LA, I didn't think I needed them but then tonight… You can't tell Han."

"I can't continue to keep your secrets," Sean practically growled. "I'm not letting you- I'm not going to be on Han's bad side, not after he took me under his wing."

"Not letting me what?" I asked. I could guess what he wanted to say, probably all of the things I already thought. "Not letting me fuck your life up too?"

His head snapped in my direction as I swore. "Yeah, maybe that is what I meant."

I wanted to say something, anything. I didn't want to argue with him, I wanted to make things better. I couldn't blame him for feeling that way but I wanted to show him that I could be different. I wanted him to give me a chance, but before I could even think of what to say his speed increased even more.

I suddenly became aware of how fast we were actually going. We were in a busy area now and Sean was going well over the speed limit. I started to panic more the faster he drove and my heart rate rose as he swerved around a car, only just missing it before coming back into the correct lane. With every car he overtook he was getting closer and closer to hitting them.

When I spotted a cop car up ahead I felt some relief, but then Sean drove right passed it and nothing happened. I glanced over my shoulder but there were no flashing lights or sirens chasing us.

"Sean stop," I pleaded, struggling to catch my breath.

For a moment he looked my way but it only made me more anxious. He looked back to the road, swerved out into the other lane and almost clipped a car as he pulled back in in front of it. He did the same again but this time he almost clipped the car as he pulled out.

I didn't realize I was screaming until the speed suddenly started to drop. I had made myself smaller somewhere in the mix too. Although his speed never increased and his over-taking became a lot safer it was all still too much. I could hear myself screaming. They were deafening my own ears but I couldn't stop. Suddenly the car slowed down drastically and then we were on the side of the road. I continued to scream and fight until I felt a hand on my back.

"_Ellie._"

I looked up to see Sean leaning towards me. All anger was gone now and I only saw concern. His hand on my back was rubbing soft circles. I began to cry and it only increased as Sean undid my seat belt and pulled me closer for a hug. I couldn't understand why my dad's Charger was running through my mind or why it felt like my heart was being ripped to shreds. I just wanted it to all stop.

**Sean's P.O.V.**

I wanted to stay mad at her but as her whole body shook from crying I knew this went beyond a stupid argument with me. She started to hyperventilate from crying so hard but I was at a loss of what to say so I just held her close with one hand on the back of her head and the other rubbing up and down her back.

She mumbled something and I pulled away from her enough so that I could see her face. "What did you say?"

"I've never been scared in a car before," she repeated, her bottom lip still quivering as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You know that I was in control, right?" I questioned, surprised by her answer. I never meant to frighten her I was just pissed that she might not have been the girl I thought she was. "Ellie, I wouldn't put you in danger." She pulled away from me and pulled her legs up to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. "If they are just for anxiety than why did you need them tonight? And why don't you want Han to know?" She sniffled and shook her head, keeping her eyes trained on the dashboard. "Was it something I did?"

"No," she answered so softly I almost missed it.

I was at a loss at what to do. Part of me wanted to tell Han that maybe she needed more help than anyone realized but another part, a much larger part, wanted to fix it myself. "Hey," I placed my hand on her back again, "I can't help if I don't know what's going on."

"I don't even know where to start."

"The beginning is usually a good place," I teased and earned myself an eye roll. It wasn't the smile I was going for but I would take it because at least she wasn't crying anymore.

She was quiet for awhile and I thought maybe she wasn't going to say anything at all until she finally spoke up. "I feel like I'm living this horrible nightmare and no matter what I do I can't wake up." She paused and let out a deep breath before turning her head to look at me. "It was the fire."

"The bonfire tonight is what made you anxious?" I was more confused now than ever before but she was talking to me.

"One minute I was talking to Neela and everything was fine and then I was just watching the fire…" she trailed off and started rubbing her chest. "I just had this overwhelming urge to run, that I needed to get as far away from it as possible so that I could breathe." I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear so that I could still see her face and she leaned into the touch. "Nothing seems right anymore. God," she swallowed back her tears before they could slip down her cheeks again, "I used to love cars, wanted my own shop when I got out of school, but now I'm scared when we go over the speed limit. I'm terrified of the fire. I feel like there are parts missing. Why am I so confused all the time? I just…"

"What?" I urged her to go on. This was obviously something she needed to get off her chest and I was curious as to what she was going to say.

Ellie sighed, dropping her gaze again. "I feel like everyone gets sick of me and they leave."

"I'm not getting sick of you," I told her, causing her to glance up at me again. "You can piss me off all you like but as long as you're honest with me then I'm around for good."

"You are?"

My heart clenched at the vulnerability in her voice. No matter how angry I was at her I couldn't understand why a girl like her would be so worried about everyone leaving her. "Of course I am. I stick by my friends." That earned me at least a fraction of the smile I had been trying to get before. "Ellie, if you're worried about people leaving you, how come _you_ left _them_ by coming to Tokyo?"

She moved away from me then, confusion etched over her face. "What do you mean?"

"Han said you were here to visit, to get away for a bit," I explained. It looked like all of this seemed to be news to her.

"No," she said as she shook her head, that same look of confusion still there. "Sean, they sent me away without ever giving me a choice."

I stared at her. All Han had told me was that she was coming from LA. From the way it had come across it sounded like the whole thing had been her idea. No wonder she had been so short with me when I picked her up at the airport. As I looked at her I found myself at a loss of words. What could I say to her now?


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Ellie's Point of View**

I had been in Tokyo for almost two weeks now and I had to admit that I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would have. Sure, I missed my family back home but everything was so different here. Han had questioned me about coming back so late that night but before I could even think to answer Sean stepped in. It was almost as if once he realized that it wasn't my choice to come here he took me under his wing more. I don't know if it was because I scared him that night I broke down in his car or what but I was thankful for the friendship.

"What are you guys doing?" Twinkie leaned over the railing as Sean and I were working under the hood of the car. I still didn't know as much as the rest of them but I was learning and it was great being able to work with cars again.

I glanced over at the clock and realized we were supposed to have left ten minutes ago. "Sorry, lost track of time. Let me just clean up quick and I'll be ready to go." I playfully smeared some grease across Sean's cheek and jumped away as he tried to pinch my side with a mock scowl on his face.

Twinkie rolled his eyes as I passed him on the stairs so I could go change. "Hurry up, pumpkin, don't have all day."

It was like everything within me froze for a brief moment, but before I could question it Sean was laughing and the spell was broken. I tried to laugh too but there was this twinge in my heart that told me it didn't feel right. He was only teasing, that was clear. Maybe it was the choice of 'pumpkin' and how sarcastic it sounded, but deep down it felt like it was because the wrong person had said it.

We were down at the docks just hanging out when Sean flopped down on the couch next to me, nudging me with his elbow. "Awful quiet today, if I didn't know better I'd think you're mute. Except I do know better and I usually can't get you to shut up."

"I'm fine," I forced a smile.

He raised an eyebrow challenging my statement before his face was a mask of concern. "What's going on with you?"

I chewed the side of my cheek a minute and let out a long breath. "I don't know. I just don't feel…right. It's stupid I don't know how to explain it."

Sean angled his body a little so that he was facing me, his eyes searching my face for the answers I didn't have for him. "Care to try? Are you sick or is this like the night of the bonfire?"

"Neither," I shook my head and ran a hand through my hair. "Sean, I really don't know what to say." The expression he wore told me it wasn't a good enough answer and I tried to elaborate. "It feels like a little black rain cloud is above me. It feels like I could breakdown at any moment and I have no idea why."

"Do you want to leave?" He questioned and I couldn't help but smile at how sweet he could be. "Do you…need your pills?"

"Well, when you say it like that you make me sound like I need a straightjacket," I smirked, hoping that he wouldn't worry about it. "It's just a bad day. Everyone has them, even you, chuckles."

"Yeah but we both know that some of yours are worse than most," he commented.

Ever since I broke down in his car he hadn't outright brought it up. He had referenced it before but he was always subtle about it, like the memory of it might cause some kind of relapse. Growing up with people like Vince and Dom I should be used to being embarrassed but I knew if Sean brought up that night again I would be mortified.

"Yeah, well I'm fine," I said, my voice suddenly bitter at how easy it had been to relate my current situations back to those in LA.

He dropped his head, one of his hands coming up to rest on the back of his neck. "Ellie, there's got to be something." When I didn't answer he let out a long breath and continued. "Your parents wouldn't just force you to come out here for nothing." 

"My mom passed away," he went to apologize but I shook my head. "I don't even remember her and what I do remember I'm not sure if they are actual memories or ones I only think I know because I've heard the stories so many times. My dad didn't send me out here either," I told him, shuffling a little closer so he knew that I wasn't angry with him, that my bitter tone had nothing to do with him. "Vince did. Well, he was part of the reason. No doubt Dom was involved."

"Well wouldn't your dad have said no?"

I looked away at him, willing the tears that were threatening to fall to stop. "My dad wasn't there. I haven't seen him for awhile. He just…he left."

For a moment everything was silent. I wanted so much to look back at him but I forced myself not to. I didn't know what else to say, didn't know if there was anything I even wanted to say.

"That doesn't sound right," Sean finally spoke up. "I know I never met your dad but I've heard Han mention him a couple of times and that does not sound like the same man."

"I wouldn't have believed it either," I admitted. "Now that I've been here I'm happy I came but me being here is just proof that my father didn't care. Either that or he was the real person who decided I should be shipped off." 

Sean opened his mouth like he was about to say something else when Twinkie sat down next to me and threw his arm around my shoulders. "You look like your dog died. What is he being rude or something?" He squeezed my shoulder with a playful gleam in his eye.

The moment was lost and I was thankful for the interruption. I didn't know how to explain something to Sean that I didn't fully understand myself. It was as if I was stuck somewhere between holding on and letting go, a place of pure uncertainty because I wasn't even sure of what I should be holding on to. Was I supposed to let it go or was I supposed to fight with everything I had to hold onto it? I wish there was someone to give me all the answers, be able to explain to me exactly what was going on and why I felt this way, but there wasn't. I was broken, a cracked shell of the girl I used to be, and I didn't know how I got this way. The simplest things seemed to strike a nerve with me and it was like they were pieces of a puzzle but none of them fit together.

"We were just talking about how that's not a real car," Sean's voice broke me out of my thoughts and I smiled at his words so they thought I had been paying attention. "I'm starving. What do you say we get out of here and get something to eat?"

"You're always hungry," I muttered earning a chuckle from Twinkie and a shrug from Sean.

***Fast and Furious***

Twinkie rambled on about some parts he had ordered for his 'Hulk' car and I numbly nodded along as I picked at my fries. I spent more time dragging it around in the ketchup then I did eating it, only when I saw Sean start to notice my lack of appetite did I pop the fry in my mouth. The last thing I wanted to do was give him another reason to worry. In all reality I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and just forget this day all together. Tomorrow had to be better, didn't it?

I added a few comments here and there as the night went on, forcing a smile when Twinkie or Sean met my gaze. I felt bad enough as it was and didn't want to ruin their night too so I hung out until they were ready to leave. Once we got back to the garage though, I headed straight for the showers in hopes of relieving some of the tension that had built up in my shoulders. I talked to Han for a couple of minutes so he knew everything was alright before climbing into bed.

**Sean's Point of View**

Try as I might I couldn't get Ellie's words out of my head as I lay on my bed staring up at the ceiling. Something wasn't adding up and I thought maybe if I went and talked to Han I could finally get some answers. Only problem was I promised Ellie I wouldn't tell him about her moments of weakness. They were few and far between, nothing as bad as the night in the car, but there was that pull to help her anyway I could. Deciding I wouldn't be able to sleep until I talked to him, I got off the bed and started down the hallway. Last I saw he was still downstairs in the garage tinkering with some cars but as I continued on I heard someone crying.

I barely knocked on Ellie's door before I opened it to make sure she was okay and the soft cries that had pulled me to her turned to blood curdling screams. The way she was thrashing around on the bed I was scared she was going to hurt herself and grabbed her arms before she could scratch herself. Tears rolled down her cheeks but it seemed like she was stuck in some kind of nightmare.

**Ellie's Point of View**

I could feel the flames of the fire as if they were licking up my skin, I could hear the screams, and it felt like no matter how loud I screamed no one heard me. There was a pair of arms wrapped around me, holding me back from where I needed to run to, and as I struggled to get free I was pulled out of my sleep. Sean was sitting on the bed next to me with a hand on either arm, worry etched into his features. "Ellie?"

My chest ached, a dull pain with every breath I took, and I realized my cheeks were wet with tears. "Sean?" My voice just above a whisper wondering what was going on. I didn't wait for him to answer as I moved to lean my head on his chest and wrapped my arms around him. He stiffened for a minute before holding the back of my head with one hand while the other rubbed up and down my back. A suffocating wave of emotions overtook me and I sobbed so hard it was hard to catch my breath.

Sean's hold on me tightened and he moved further onto the bed so that I was almost sitting on his lap. "Shh, Ellie, it's okay. You're okay." My tears had soaked his shirt and I took a few shuddering breaths to try and get a hold of myself. "You've got to tell me what's going on. Whatever it is, you can't keep it bottled up anymore."

"I…I don't know what **it** is," I hiccupped, getting more angry at myself as the seconds ticked on.

He hushed me, his hand never stopping the comforting circles that he was rubbing on my back. "Alright, alright. Can you tell me what you were dreaming about?" I quickly shook my head. "You're here with me, Ellie. You're safe. Nothing's going to happen to you."

"There was a fire," I whispered, sitting up a bit and wiping away my tears with the corner of my sleeve. He was patiently waiting for me to continue, giving me as much time as I needed to get my thoughts together. "I could feel the heat of it," I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, holding myself together. "I don't know why but I was fighting to get to it like my life depended on it. There was so much commotion and screaming and I wanted nothing more than to run to the fire…" I trailed off and Sean tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "I couldn't get there though…someone was holding me back and as much as I fought against them I couldn't break free."

"Why would you need to get to a fire?" Sean questioned carefully, his words soft.

I shook my head again as more tears gathered in my eyes, "Someone was in the car, it had crashed and gone up in flames…I needed to get there…but I wasn't able to."

He was quiet for several moments as I kept replaying the dream in my mind. He had this look on his face like when all the puzzle pieces finally fall together. "Ellie, you said there was a fire in your dream, right?"

"Yeah," I nodded unsure of what he was going on about since I had just told him that.

"And that it was a car on fire?" I nodded again, slightly shifting away from him by the way he was looking at me. "Remember the first night you freaked out because of the bonfire?" He didn't wait for a response as he continued. "Then again when we were in my car, you thought we were going to crash. You about stopped breathing until I pulled over to the side of the road and now this dream…"

"What are you saying?" He was supposed to be my best friend but there was this knot growing in my stomach the longer he stared at me.

"I don't think it was just a dream."

I pulled away from him and climbed off of the bed, putting as much distance between us as possible. He had that stupid, sympathetic look that I thought I had escaped from.

"Of course it was a dream," I argued, more emotion coming out in my voice than I had meant to.

He shifted over to sit at the end of the bed but came no closer. "Then why are you so upset?"

"How could it be more than just a dream if everyone I know is okay?"

He paused for a moment, thinking it over. He bit his lip as he watched me and I could tell he was contemplating whether he wanted to say what was on his mind or not. "You said you haven't seen your dad in a while… Would he really just leave you like that?"

I shook my head frantically and closed my eyes tight, praying for it to go away. I didn't want to think about what he was suggesting. My dad walking out on us was painful to think about but thinking about him being in some kind of horrific crash was far worse. He was lying. He didn't know what he was talking about it.

"Stop lying," I growled at him. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Ellie…"

He reached for me this time but I jumped back. I shook my head at him but the pity in his eyes only intensified. I wanted to glare at him, scream at him, even hit him but the pain in my chest was too much. I couldn't focus on anything else. The longer I stayed and looked at him the worse I felt. He was supposed to be the one that didn't look at me with such pity. When he finally got off of the bed to try and reach me I moved towards the door.

"Where are you going?" he asked, his voice surprisingly small.

I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out. I could feel myself begin to cry again. Before Sean could even thing to come closer I grabbed the door handle and opened it up, glancing back at him for a brief moment before I left.

Once I was out in the corridor I started running, not bothering to see if anyone was around. I just needed to get away and when I got outside I only ran faster. I didn't care that I was in clothes only suitable for bed or the fact that I had socks on but no shoes. It was surprisingly warm out but I wished it would rain and snow and just be cold. The weather never did much of that in LA and I needed to feel like I was a world away from there more than ever now.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**Sean's Point of View**

I moved to go after her but the second I got out into the corridor she was already gone. I rushed back to my room and put on some trainers before I grabbed my jacket and car keys. I contemplated telling Han what was happening but as I got to his room I just kept on walking. He wouldn't be happy and Ellie would hate me even more.

When I got outside there was no sign of her. I got into my car and willed myself to drive slow enough to look out for her. I tried to think of the places she might go. We usually went to a lot of the same places so there really wasn't much of a choice unless then she had no plan in mind.

I felt stupid for the way I had brought it up. I should have waited for her to calm down before I suggested that it could have been real, better yet, I should have gotten Han. He would have known how to handle it better. Now she was out there in the worst possible condition. I had screwed up a lot before but I wasn't about to screw up my life in Tokyo and the people I loved here.

Ellie couldn't have gotten too far since she was on foot and had nothing with her to be able to take a taxi. I had never really paid attention to the amount of people there was in Tokyo until I was looking for just one; a needle in the proverbial haystack. This was all my fault and if anything happened to her I would never forgive myself. I was about to swallow my pride and call Han when a light blue ball caught my eye. She stood out against the dark building walls behind her and I parked the car as soon as I could find a spot. I jogged over to where she was sitting on the sidewalk, hands twisted in her hair, looking more broken than I had ever seen anyone before.

"Ellie?" I crouched down next to her but she didn't seem to notice me.

"He's dead…he's dead…he's dead…" She repeated so many times I wasn't even sure if she knew what she was saying anymore.

**Ellie's Point of View**

I ran until my legs grew weak and my chest hurt with each breath I tried to draw into my lungs. It was like a dam had opened in my mind and images were flashing through so quickly that I started to get dizzy. _He's dead_. I remembered going to daddy's race, watching Linder clip his car, it slamming up against the cement wall. _He's dead. _ I could hear the screams, I remembered trying to get to him when Vince caught me and held me back. Linder was there. He was standing off to the side with a smug smile on his face as my dad's car went up in flames. _He's dead. _ I remember yelling at him before he put his hands on me and I fell. Daddy had died, Dom had gone to prison for beating Linder within an inch of his life, and I had blocked it all out. What had I done? What had I put my family through?

I sunk to the sidewalk and pulled my knees up to my chest as hot tears streamed down my face. I could hear Dom's words as clear as day in my head.

_He's dead_.

**Sean's Point of View**

I didn't know what to do and when I reached out to brush the hair out of her face she didn't even acknowledge my presence. I thought about calling Han but I also knew that her sitting out in the cold wasn't doing her any good either so I carefully scooped her up. Her arms went numbly around my neck as I carried her back to my car and her whole body shook with sobs.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, feeling horrible that I had done this to her but a small part of me wished that maybe now that she knew what was going on that she would be able to get over it or at least begin deal with it somehow.

I went to place her in the passenger seat and her arms tightened around my neck, "He's dead."

"I'm sorry," I repeated, because I had no idea what to say. I didn't know the full story, not in enough detail to help her properly. "I'm going to fix this, okay?"

She didn't say anything, not even when I lowered her into the car and strapped her in. She would never forgive me for it but seeing Han had to be the next logical step. He would know all the right things to say or do in this situation, maybe then I could actually step up and do something.

I shut the door gently and moved quickly to the other side. When I got in she was still muttering the same words to herself. She was curled up, one hand gripped tightly at the seat belt across her chest and the other hand clenched into a fist that dug into her thigh. I could just imagine the mark or the bruise it would leave but I left her alone. I only wanted to get back as quickly as possible but I managed to keep my speed almost under the limit not wanting to scare her further. We weren't far from the shop but I kept glancing over at Ellie every couple of seconds as if she would disappear in front of my eyes. In a way she already had and I wanted the carefree girl back that was laughing at my jokes this morning.

I stopped the car outside of the shop and I didn't even bother to check how my parking looked. I was around Ellie's side of the car within seconds and as I lifted her out she was still mumbling to herself. She seemed a little more with it as she gripped onto me tighter but there was still that far off look in her eyes.

"We're almost home," I told her gently, shifting her in my arms slightly.

"He's dead."

I didn't respond as I carried her back inside. The lights were still on so I took her straight to the sitting room. Han was in there and thankfully alone. As I moved further into the room to set Ellie down on the couch he turned to us. In all the time I'd known him I had never Han look so angry or distraught. He visibly relaxed at the sight of Ellie.

"What's going on?" he asked me calmly as he sat on the coffee table in front of Ellie.

"She's starting to remember what happened in LA," I lowered my voice a little afraid that Ellie would overhear and barely whispered, "With her dad."

Han's eyes flashed to me. "When? How much does she remember?"

I shrugged, feeling stupid for not knowing, and wondering how much I should tell Han. I finally decided that he needed to know and she could be pissed at me later as long as she was okay. "I think she's been piecing things together for awhile now. She wouldn't say anything and she didn't want you to know but there was a couple times I found her crying. I heard her again tonight and when I went to see if she was okay she was crying out in her sleep. I woke her up, tried to talk to her about it, and she ran. I'm sorry, I didn't even think about anything but finding her and when I did all she would keep saying is that he's dead."

"Oh, Ellie," Han said softly as he shifted over to sit beside her and when he put his arm around her she made no objections. She leaned into him and wrapped her arms tightly around his middle. I had never seen Han like this with anyone. I had heard him briefly mention some people, especially a few from LA but I never realized how close he was with them.

"What do we do?" I half asked, half begged.

"Go get her some water," Han said but I knew it was more of a suggestion, he wasn't too sure either. "We need to get her talking, snap her out of this, maybe then we can really think of something."

I nodded my head but as I moved towards the kitchen I heard her mumble the same words again and I knew it was going to be a long journey. When I got back to the sitting room she was still curled into his side the same vacant expression on her face. Han had settled into the couch ready to stay there all night if he had to and I sat on the coffee table across from her ready to do the same.

**Ellie's Point of View**

I couldn't believe it, didn't want to, but somewhere deep down I knew that it was the truth. It felt like a veil had been lifted from my eyes and though I remembered most of it there were still some parts that I was fuzzy on. I loved Han like he was another brother but he wasn't what I needed right now. I needed Dom but as far as I could remember he was in jail. I wanted to be selfish and call home, beg Vince to come get me, and have him make this nightmare go away but I couldn't. I had already caused them all so much pain with not being able to remember what happened I needed to deal with this myself. I just didn't know how.

"Dom…" my voice cracked when I spoke, "How…how long?"

I saw Sean's eyes shift over to Han waiting for him to answer and I could feel him sigh as if he was debating whether or not to tell me. "He got five years."

"No," I breathed out, my chest tightening again as hot tears streamed down my face again. The one person who would be able to take all my broken pieces and put them back together was dead, my brother had been taken away from me for five years, and I had never felt so alone.

I don't know why but memories of the court room flashed through my mind of when Dom told the judge that he had attacked Linder because the man put his hands on me. This was all my fault. I should have listened when Dom and Vince told me not to go to the race that day and I should have never gone over to Linder. If I had been able to control my anger Dom would be home. Daddy hadn't broken our family up. I had.

The anger at myself started to build and my eyes locked onto the glass of water sitting next to Sean. Without a second thought I got off the couch, snatching the glass up in my hand, and chucking it across the room as hard as I could so that it smashed against the wall. I almost expected Han to scold me, though he had never before, but instead he leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees just watching me. I stood there for the briefest of seconds before letting my anger get the best of me again and I destroyed the room. Pictures were tossed causing the glass to break, the lamp pulled from the wall, and a stack of magazines pushed over. Anything I could get my hands on was destroyed and Han just sat there the whole time, ducking once when a picture frame came flying his way by mistake. Sean, on the other hand, was trying to get me to calm down and when he realized that his words weren't resonating he resorted to just making sure I didn't hurt myself in the process.

When there was nothing left in the room to destroy I stood in the middle of the mess before sinking to my knees and crying again. I vaguely remember Sean crouching down next to me and him rubbing my back, whispering comforting words in my ear but all I could think was that my hero was dead.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

When I woke up I could barely open my eyes they stung so much from all the crying I'd done. I didn't remember when I fell asleep. All I remembered was breaking things and crying, a lot. At some point I must have grown too tried to do anything but sleep. I was in my room again but I couldn't remember getting there so someone must have carried me up. That over powering urge to cry bubbled up inside of me again when I remembered that Han and Sean had both been witnesses to my melt down.

I curled up tight, drawing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. I pulled the covers up over my head before wrapping my arm back around myself. As I closed my eyes to block out the rest of the light I slowly started to cry. Every so often I struggled to catch my breath and my chest tightened to the point that I was afraid I might suffocate.

All I could feel was pain and misery. Every time I thought I had a good memory it would just be showered in bad thoughts. I felt like everything that was good in my life was being sucked away from me. It's what I deserved. I ruined everything and now I was finally suffering for it.

I jumped as someone knocked on my bedroom door. I tried to curl up even more, hoping to avoid it all but after a couple more knocks the door opened up. I didn't move and I didn't open my eyes, not even when whoever it was sat on the bed beside me. Suddenly they spoke and I realized that it was Sean.

I didn't say anything. I just stayed completely silent as he finished talking. There wasn't much to say anyway, I was barely concentrating on his words. I could hear him talking but if I had to repeat back what he said then I would barely get more than a couple of words right. I felt horrible but I just couldn't concentrate. I wanted him to leave me alone.

**Sean's Point of View**

I took a deep breath as I walked up to her door, I knocked once, and when no answer came I knocked twice more before stepping into the room. My eyes fell on the bed. I could see her curled up under the covers. I shut the door behind me and went over to sit on the bed. She didn't move or say anything so I faced the opposite wall.

"I know that I have no idea what you're going through," I told her softly as I concentrated hard on the wall. "I miss my mom but she's in the states alive and well. And I'm not sure if I ever said but my dad is out here in Tokyo. I don't see him much but I know he's okay. I couldn't imagine anything happening to them… to lose both of them, I just… I'm so sorry, Ellie."

She still didn't move or say anything. I found myself growing worried and I wished she would do something, anything. I needed her to be okay. If I had been more careful then maybe she wouldn't have snapped. Maybe she would have realized the truth and come to terms with it at a much safer pace.

"It's still quite early, but I'm going to make some breakfast, do you want some?" I asked her, glancing down to where I assumed her head was, hoping it would poke out. It didn't though. "I'll bring some up. I know you won't want to but it'll be here for when you get hungry."

I stayed for a couple of minutes just watching, waiting to see if she would at least look at me. I opened my mouth to say something else but I realized there was nothing I really could say. I patted the bed awkwardly before standing up. As I crossed the room I looked back at her one more time before leaving.

Han was already in the kitchen snacking on a bag of chips and I wondered if he got any sleep last night. He nodded in greeting as I walked in the room and started pulling this out for breakfast. He seemed to stare at me for a minute as I moved about before finally asking, "You're making food?"

"I cook," I defended as I cracked an egg into the pan impressed with myself that no bits of shells had fallen in. At his silent stare I rolled my eyes. "She needs to eat something." I watched as the clear part of the egg turned white as it cooked. "So, what happens now?"

Han shrugged a bit, "Now, she grieves." He popped the last chip in his mouth and tossed out the bag. "I'm going to wait until it's a more reasonable hour in LA and call Mia. Let her know and see what she says. With her remembering now I don't know if they will want her to come back home so they can help her through it."

I simply nodded as he left the room and fought the urge to throw the spatula in anger. These were the same people that had sent her here in the first place and I wasn't sure if I was ready to say goodbye yet.

**Ellie's Point of View**

Sean had come back in at some point and left a plate of food behind that was taken out by Han a few hours later after I refused to touch it. He explained to me that he called Mia and talked to her about what was going on and that she wanted me to call her when I had a minute. I kept my gaze on the bare wall in front of me and Han talked a little more but my mind was still stuck on the phone call I would have to make. What was I supposed to say? Was she going to scream at me for tearing the family apart?

When I couldn't lie there anymore I pulled myself up in the bed and wrapped my arms around my knees. I didn't want to call home but I knew that if I didn't I would only be in worse trouble so I pulled out my cell phone and dialed the number that had been ingrained in my mind since kindergarten. It rang three times before someone finally answered.

"Hello?" It was nice to hear Vince's voice but I couldn't get myself to say anything. "Hello? Anyone there?" When I didn't reply he had hung the phone up and I took a deep breath before calling back. "Hello?" He answered this time a little more impatiently. "Alright, if you think this is some game…"

"Hey, V."

There was silence for a second and I could almost imagine his whole face changing from annoyance to surprise. "Ellie?"

"Yeah." I wasn't sure what else I was supposed to say but I was thankful it wasn't Mia that answered the phone. I wasn't sure if I could handle that right now.

"How you doing, baby?"

The softness in his voice had a lump forming in the back of my throat and I tried to swallow it down but I couldn't. "He's…he's dead, V." Fresh tears streamed down my face and I needed one person to tell me that this was all some horrible nightmare that I was going to wake up from at any moment.

"I know, baby, I know. Do you want me to come get you? I'll be on the next flight out."

"No."

"Let me get a hold of Mia she's down at the café right now but if you want we can send her to come get you."

Sean must have heard my crying because he came in to check on me. "I don't want to come home!" I screamed at Vince before ending the call and chucking my phone across the room as more tears came. Sean sat down next to me and I immediately curled into his side. I couldn't go home. I had broken my family apart and now I needed to stay far away from them before I did anything else.

***Fast and Furious***

I hadn't really done anything for a couple days but stay locked up in my room. I finally ventured out to take a shower and couldn't deny that I felt a little better after I was clean. The pain was still heavy in my chest but I wasn't going to live the rest of my life staring at those same four walls.

"Look who it is," Twinkie cheered as I came into the garage and I tried to muster up a smile but it was no use.

All eyes were on me as if they were expecting me to freak out at any minute and I almost turned back when Sean called out, "Hey, want to give me a hand?"

I hated how much I was leaning on him lately but if I went back to my room now then I might never come out so I simply nodded, grabbing a rag as I passed and tucking it in the back pocket of my jeans. Daddy always said that you weren't doing the job right if you weren't getting your hands dirty. It hurt to think he would never be there to teach me what I didn't already know but this was something I was able to do that helped keep me close to him.

We worked side by side in silence, Sean glancing over at me every so often to make sure I was okay, but I focused at the task at hand. I thought about Vince's offer to come get me again and part of me wanted to go home except it wasn't going to be the same home. I wanted to go back to daddy helping me with homework, Dom being the overprotective big brother who tried to scare away my boyfriends, but most of all I wanted it to be more of the same. If Vince came and got me I would only have to live with the fact that I tore my family apart with my childish decisions. No, I needed to stay in Tokyo and hope that I didn't mess things up here as bad as I did in LA.

Sean tossed me the keys to the car we were working on and I sat behind the wheel, turning the ignition to make sure it was running smoothly. After Sean told me to cut the engine I turned the car off and just sat there. It had been so long since I was behind the wheel that I found myself missing the adrenaline rush.

"You alright?" Sean leaned against the door when I hadn't gotten out.

I nodded, "Want to take me out for a drive?"

It took him a moment to hide his surprise. I hadn't left my room lately, let alone go outside. I could slowly start to see that surprise turn into something a lot happier when he seemed to realize that I was initiating this.

"Guess I could," he said, motioning for me to get out of the car with his head. "Anywhere you want to go?"

I climbed out of the car, momentarily trapped between it and him. "First place that comes to your mind, your favorite place, whichever. Need to make sure everything is running right anyways."

He seemed to think about it for a moment then he stepped aside. "Alright, I think I've got a place."

I nodded my head and moved around to the other side of the car. As I climbed in I heard Sean speaking to Twinkie but I didn't listen to their exact words. I was in and buckled up when Sean came over.

He leaned down to look at me through the open door. "You sure you want to do this?"

I looked ahead then at the steering wheel and then at Sean. "I trust you."

"Good," he said after a moment as he climbed in. He nodded his head a little distractedly as he turned on the engine. "Good."

"We don't have to," I spoke up suddenly. I didn't want to force him. I was staying here in Tokyo in an attempt to not screw up again after all.

"Do you not want to?" he asked, glancing my way.

"No, I…" I shook my head and looked forward. "You just don't seem sure."

"Well I am," he said as he put the car in reverse and started to back out. "You just took me by surprise that's all." 

I couldn't really blame him, I hadn't been doing anything but working on cars and secluding myself to my room, and as much as I felt like I needed to punish myself for ruining my family- I needed to get out for bit. Surprisingly, he started out going just under the speed limit and every few seconds his gaze would shift over to me. Granted, my one hand was gripping my leg so tight that my fingers were white but all in all I was doing better than I expected.

"You sick or something?" I teased and when he cocked an eyebrow in question I laughed. "Pretty sure this is the slowest I've ever seen you drive." He opened his mouth to say something but I cut him off before he could. "I'm okay. Now hit the gas."


End file.
